Fish Bake with Mashed Potato topping

April 8, 2014

This is a dish that can be prepared the day before.Fish Bake

All you have to do on the day is put it into a pre-heated oven about 45 minutes before serving and make the side dishes

I’ve never made fish pie before and this dish is a mixture of a few recipes, from which I picked the best ideas and put them all together.

The only problem I encountered with this pie, is that it could have fed an army of people (at least 8) instead of the four it was intended for. Not a real problem, it was great re-heated and eaten over the next couple of days. This dish I will definitely make again.

Ingredients

  • 1kilo cod
  • 1/2 kilo smoked haddock
  • prawns – cooked and peeled – enough to cover the base of the ovenproof dish.
  • 1 cup of frozen peas
  • fresh spinach (for a thin layer under mashed potato topping)

For poaching the fish

  • 1 litre semi skimmed milk for poaching
  • 2 teaspoons Bullion stock
  • 2 large sprigs of tarragon
  • 1 finely chopped leek or onion
  • teaspoon whole peppercorns

For the White sauce

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • strained juices from poaching fish
  • extra milk if required

Mashed potato with spring onions

Instructions

  1. Heat the poaching ingredients in a large pan
  2. Poach/simmer the fish (in batches if necessary) until opaque (about 6-8 minutes) taking care it doesn’t boil over
  3. Drain the fish well and set aside returning the drained juices to the pan
  4. When all the fish has been poached, strain the poaching juices and pour into a pouring jug
  5. Break the fish into large bite sized chunks
  6. Heat butter in a large pan, stir in the flour
  7. Slowly add the poaching juices stirring all the time, season to taste with extra bullion or salt and pepper
  8. Simmer (still stirring) the white sauce until its gloopy, adding more milk if required
  9. Make the mashed potatoes with spring onions in the microwave – see recipe
  10. Place the cooked, peeled prawns into the base of the oven proof fish pie dish
  11. Add the poached fish by crumbling it over the prawns layering it with the frozen peas
  12. Pour over all the white sauce, and move fish gently to allow the white sauce to sink down to the prawns
  13. Top the sauce with a thin layer of fresh spinach so that when adding the mashed potato to the very top it does not sink into the white sauce
  14. Add the mashed potatoes one spoon full at a time from the outside edges of the dish working inwards
  15. Level the top gently, but rough it up with a fork for texture
  16. cover and chill if preparing this the day before and remove from fridge a few hours before cooking
  17. Preheat oven to 200F
  18. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 40 minutes –  could take an hour if its a deep dish.
  19. Place a baking tray on the lowest rack in case the pie overflows a little
  20. Serve with steamed vegetables

 

 

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Sauted Spicy Shrimp in Tarragon Butter

March 14, 2012

These a delicious, a tasty appetizer, fast to make and eaten even faster.

 

Ingredients

  • 6 large Frozen shrimp (with tails)
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon iodized sea salt
  • 1/3/teaspoon paprika (to redden sauce)
  • 1 finely chopped fresh chilli
  • 1 sprig of finely chopped tarragon
  1. Melt butter in a pan with the oil (using a pan just large enough to lay in all the shrimp flat)
  2. add the chopped chilli and saute until softened
  3. add the seasoning, paprika, and tarragon
  4. Stir well and when on really hot and bubbling add the shrimp into the sauce
  5. Cook on med-high until shrimp turn pinkish (about 3 mintues)
  6. Turn shrimp over and cook for one more minute.
  7. Serve immediately or leave to cool and add as a garnish to a salad
Use this sauce (with or without the shrimp) as a topping or garnish for baked white fish..
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