One Apple Tasted Fish Pie

Due to feedback I have had about people rushing to add capers to their fish pies, having read One Apple Tasted, here is the recipe. (I hope people aren’t taking some of the more misguided advice in the book too seriously - but everyone’s love lives should survive capers).

Ingredients:

1 fillet of haddock (or other white fish au choix)

1 fillet of undyed smoked haddock

4 eggs (or 12 quails eggs, although this is not in the novel)

Bechamel sauce (made with flour, butter and the milk you used to poach the fish, plus a good slug of a gutsy white wine)

Mashing potatoes (I make mash with a hand or electric whisk - be careful to buy very floury potatoes such as King Edwards)

Milk, butter and fresh grated nutmeg for the mash

2 tblspns capers

Method:

Put the fish in an over proof dish and pour over milk to cover, add a bayleaf, a little sliced onion, a few peppercorns and even a little lemon zest if you fancy it). Poach in a medium oven until opaque and flaky. Hard boil eggs. Using your fingers, flake off the skin and bones and discard. Put the fish flesh in a pie dish. Peel and slice eggs. Scatter over capers. Make a Bechamel by melting butter in a small pan (or these days I do it in the microwave in a pyrex bowl), whisk in flour, then strained milk from fish poaching, and white wine to make a pourable sauce. Taste for seasoning and pour over fish, eggs and capers. Lift everything gently so as not to mush up, to allow sauce to seep down among the ingredients. Make mashed potatoes - boil til a bit soggy, drain, add milk, salt, butter and grated nutmeg. Beat with hand or electric whisk til fluffy. Carefully arrange over top of fish etc. Make nice peaks if you like. You can also sprinkle with cheese, but there is no need. This can be put aside in the fridge and then reheated through in oven or microwave (I use a combination grill/microwave for minimal time to add little toasty brown to potatoes and heat the middle through. Do not overheat.

Serve in hot dollops, with a sharp salad on the side. Dora served Smarties for pudding, and then they all went to the fateful masked ball at the Polish Club.


Go to www.oneappletasted.co.uk for more information about my first novel....