Fish pie, and why not. Can be made with various mixtures of fish and/or seafood. Serves 2.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsly chopped
Half a medium fennel bulb, chopped coarsly (optional)
A 5cm piece of chorizo, chopped into small cubes (optional)
1 glass white wine
1 tablespoon plain flour
300ml fish stock
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried dill
A good grinding of pepper
200g mixed fish and/or seafood, e.g. salmon fillets, cod loin, prawns, mussels, etc
Mashed potato, or breadcrumbs and grated cheddar, or pastry to top
Preheat an oven to 180°C
In a pan, gently fry the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes until soft but not browned
Add the fennel, if using, and fry for a few minutes more
Add the cubed chorizo, if using, and fry for a minute or two
Turn up the heat, add the white wine, and simmer vigorously until mostly evaporated
Turn down the heat, add the flour and stir, avoiding burning
Add most of the stock and stir until thickened. The sauce needs to be quite thick, but if it becomes too stodgy, add some of the reserved stock
Add the tarragon and dill and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add several grindings of pepper and check for seasoning. Unless using a zero-salt cube, the stock should have added some salt, but add some more if required.
Add the fish, and cook gently for a few minutes, but don't stir too much as this may break the fish up. Remove from the heat when the fish turns opaque - it doesn't need to be fully cooked at this stage
Spoon into two suitable individual pie dishes, about 15cm across. Top with either mashed potato, using a fork to tuft it up like a hedgehog, or use a mixture of breadcrumbs and grated mature cheddar. Alternatively, roll out some pasty and cut out a disc to top the pie with, brushing with milk or some beaten egg. Make a small hole in the top of the pastry lid to let some steam out
Place into the hot oven and cook for 30 minutes or so, until the potato is tinged with brown, or the breadcrumbs or pastry are golden. Place a baking tray on the shelf below to catch any fishy overflow from the pies, otherwise this can stink the cooker up for ages