![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Shepherd's Pie, if Sheep Were Fish
This week's Resolution Recipe: The Ultimate Fish Pie.
"Mr. Franklin's take on a British classic." Franklin is the chef in the London restaurant the Pie Room, which I would love to visit.
Topping:
4 Russet potatoes (3 lbs), peeled and quartered
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
2 large egg yolks, beaten
3/4 tsp salt, plus more for water
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese (~2 oz)
Filling:
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups cream
10 oz skinless cod, 1" diced
7 oz skinless salmon, ditto
7 oz skinless smoked haddock or other smoked fish, ditto ditto (I used tinned smoked herring)
1/3 lb raw medium shrimp (not ditto ditto ditto, apparently)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 10 oz bag frozen peas, thawed
3 Tbsp capers
1/2 cup chopped chives
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp salt
no garlic (Ha! I used... more. Also 1 small shallot, diced)
Make the potato topping: put potatoes in a medium pot and add enough cold water just to cover them. Salt water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain them, then return to pot along with milk, cream, and butter. Mash together until smooth. Add egg yolks and salt, mix until well incorporated, and set aside.
Make the filling: in amedium large pan over medium heat, bring milk and cream to a simmer. Drop in fish and poach 2 minutes. The seafood will look cooked on the outside but will be somewhat raw on the inside. Drain fish, reserving poaching liquid in a (large) bowl.
Clean pan and add butter. Melt it over medium heat until small bubbles appear, then whisk in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook for 8 minutes, whisking continuously. Do not let it brown. Slowly whisk in half of the reserved cooking liquid, increase heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring continuously to prevent any lumps from forming, until thickened - about 10-15 minutes. (Lies!) Add remaining poaching liquid and continue whisking until thick and smooth, 10-15 minutes more. (Still lies!) Add peas, capers, chives, parsley, mustard, and salt; mix well. Lightly fold in drained fish, taking care not to break up the pieces.
Spoon fish mixture into a 9x13 pan and level the surface. Spread mashed potato topping over fish mixture, taking it right to the edges of the dish, then drag the tines of a fork over the top to create texture. Scatter grated cheese over the top.
Bake at 400 until sauce is bubbling up at the sides and the potato topping has developed a golden crust, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm.
What worked: Rich. Decadent. Delicious. Pretty. The recipe says it takes 3 hours to prepare, but it took me far less. I will not complain about that.
What didn't: The flour did not take 8 minutes to cook - it was starting to brown after 4 even over very low heat. Likewise the first half of the milk when added; it took 30 seconds to thicken rather than 10-15 minutes.
I took my eyes off at precisely the wrong moment, and the milk/cream boiled over slightly before I added in the fish. It didn't scorch and I didn't lose much, thankfully.
It did not brown in our oven as much in the time (even 10 minutes extra) - I ended up using the broiler to finish it off. I think the texture we got was wetter than the recipe intends, although it's hard to know. It's never going to be as solid as a shepherd's pie.
It could have used white pepper and/or a bit of mild heat like Tabasco.
Will I make it again? Not unless I want a showpiece that makes a lot; we ate the leftovers all week. We could probably halve the recipe, boost the fish proportion a bit, and bake it in a 9x9.
"Mr. Franklin's take on a British classic." Franklin is the chef in the London restaurant the Pie Room, which I would love to visit.
Topping:
4 Russet potatoes (3 lbs), peeled and quartered
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
2 large egg yolks, beaten
3/4 tsp salt, plus more for water
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese (~2 oz)
Filling:
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups cream
10 oz skinless cod, 1" diced
7 oz skinless salmon, ditto
7 oz skinless smoked haddock or other smoked fish, ditto ditto (I used tinned smoked herring)
1/3 lb raw medium shrimp (not ditto ditto ditto, apparently)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 10 oz bag frozen peas, thawed
3 Tbsp capers
1/2 cup chopped chives
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp salt
no garlic (Ha! I used... more. Also 1 small shallot, diced)
Make the potato topping: put potatoes in a medium pot and add enough cold water just to cover them. Salt water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain them, then return to pot along with milk, cream, and butter. Mash together until smooth. Add egg yolks and salt, mix until well incorporated, and set aside.
Make the filling: in a
Clean pan and add butter. Melt it over medium heat until small bubbles appear, then whisk in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook for 8 minutes, whisking continuously. Do not let it brown. Slowly whisk in half of the reserved cooking liquid, increase heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring continuously to prevent any lumps from forming, until thickened - about 10-15 minutes. (Lies!) Add remaining poaching liquid and continue whisking until thick and smooth, 10-15 minutes more. (Still lies!) Add peas, capers, chives, parsley, mustard, and salt; mix well. Lightly fold in drained fish, taking care not to break up the pieces.
Spoon fish mixture into a 9x13 pan and level the surface. Spread mashed potato topping over fish mixture, taking it right to the edges of the dish, then drag the tines of a fork over the top to create texture. Scatter grated cheese over the top.
Bake at 400 until sauce is bubbling up at the sides and the potato topping has developed a golden crust, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm.
What worked: Rich. Decadent. Delicious. Pretty. The recipe says it takes 3 hours to prepare, but it took me far less. I will not complain about that.
What didn't: The flour did not take 8 minutes to cook - it was starting to brown after 4 even over very low heat. Likewise the first half of the milk when added; it took 30 seconds to thicken rather than 10-15 minutes.
I took my eyes off at precisely the wrong moment, and the milk/cream boiled over slightly before I added in the fish. It didn't scorch and I didn't lose much, thankfully.
It did not brown in our oven as much in the time (even 10 minutes extra) - I ended up using the broiler to finish it off. I think the texture we got was wetter than the recipe intends, although it's hard to know. It's never going to be as solid as a shepherd's pie.
It could have used white pepper and/or a bit of mild heat like Tabasco.
Will I make it again? Not unless I want a showpiece that makes a lot; we ate the leftovers all week. We could probably halve the recipe, boost the fish proportion a bit, and bake it in a 9x9.