family fish pie

Serves 4

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 55 minutes

1 kg (2 lb) floury potatoes

625 g (1¼ lb) cod, pollack or haddock fillet, skinned

600 ml (1 pint) milk

100 g (3½ oz) butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

40 g (1½ oz) plain flour

100 g (3½ oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated

100 ml (3½ fl oz) single cream or milk

salt and pepper

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, put the fish in a shallow ovenproof dish with half the milk. Place on the lower rack of the halogen oven. Set the temperature to 250°C (482°F) and cook for 20 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Drain off the milk, reserving it for the sauce, and flake the fish evenly over the bottom of the dish.

Melt 25 g (1 oz) of the butter in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and celery for about 5 minutes until softened. Spoon the onion and celery mixture over the flaked fish and scatter with the parsley.

Melt a further 50 g (2 oz) of the butter in a clean saucepan and stir in the flour to make a smooth paste. Remove from the heat and gradually blend in all the reserved milk. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in half the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon half the sauce over the fish. Mash the potatoes with the cream, remaining butter and seasoning, and add to the dish, spreading evenly. Scatter with the remaining cheese and place on the lower rack of the halogen oven. Set the temperature to 200°C (392°F) and cook for 20–25 minutes until the surface is golden.

For spiced smoked haddock pie, replace the white fish fillets with 625 g (1¼ lb) skinned smoked haddock fillets and add 4 halved hard-boiled eggs to the fish. Replace the parsley with 2 tablespoons chopped coriander and add 1 tablespoon medium curry paste to the thickened sauce. Finish as above.