A fish pie fit for a king or queen. This recipe promises to impress friends and delight family through layered flavours and careful technique.

Serves: Four to six people

Ingredients

• 700 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 medium brown onion, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves
• 6 peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
• 20g tarragon
• 30g flat leaf parsley
• 150g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 400g haddock or white fish (cod/hake)
• 200g salmon
• 200g smoked haddock
• 160g mature cheddar, grated
• 2 medium-large carrots (~200g)
• 250g spinach
• 800g potatoes (peeled weight)

Equipment: Baking dish approximately 30cm × 30cm × 6cm deep (1-litre capacity)

The Flavoured Milk

Combine 500ml milk, onion slices, 8g each tarragon and parsley, cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns with salt. Bring to the boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Cover and steep for 30 minutes to one hour.

Vegetables

Dice carrots into small cubes and boil until tender. Peel and cut potatoes for mashing, boil until soft. Blanch spinach for one minute, refresh in cold water, drain thoroughly, and squeeze dry. Roughly chop remaining herbs.

Cooking the Fish

Strain the infused milk, discarding the solids. Press the onions through the sieve for extra flavour. Pour the strained milk into a pan, gently add the fish pieces, and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and stand for 30 minutes. Remove the fish to cool, then strain the milk again.

Making the Béchamel

Melt 50g butter, add 50g flour, and stir on low heat for 3–4 minutes until toasty. Whisk in the flavoured milk rapidly until smooth. Bring to the boil, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with white pepper.

Assembling the Pie Base

Add the drained carrots to the baking dish. Gently flake the cooled fish into the dish and mix carefully. Remove the béchamel from the heat, fold in the spinach with slicing motions, add the chopped herbs, and stir gently. Pour over the fish mixture and fold gently to combine. Leave to cool.

Making the Mash

Drain the potatoes, add the remaining 200ml milk and 100g butter. Season with white pepper, simmer for 5 minutes, and mash well. Fold in most of the grated cheese (reserve a handful).

Final Assembly

Spoon or pipe the mash topping, smooth with a fork creating ridges. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top. Place the dish on a baking tray.

Baking

40 minutes at 180°C (350°F fan / Gas mark 5) until golden brown. Rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Optional Variations

• Use a fish stock cube instead of salt
• Add cooked mussels (shells removed)
• Include prawns
• Omit the cheese