Classic Fish Pie On The First Day Of Christmas

Had a break from blogging last weekend as we flew to Taipei, Taiwan, for a short holiday then, hence there was no entry for any recipes last weekend. So sorry to have kept everyone waiting for recipes!

Taipei was a really nice, simple, uncomplicated, clean and friendly city. I can’t describe just how impressed I was with the culture and the way people interact with one another – with courteousy, sincerity and warmth.  The service industry was top notch, with the sales and service personnel treating their clients with utmost sincerity and respect. It’s something that I can hardly sense and receive in Singapore. Sadly, and truthfully, we are so far from achieving such service standards. When will we get there?

Anyway, the trip itself was meant to be slow, unrushed, unpaced and spontaneous. We weren’t expecting Taipei to be soooooooo rainy! And dark, and chilly cold at times. The weather was really unpredictable, sometimes hitting as cold as 16 degrees and sometimes 27 degrees (and with scorching heat from the sun!) We thought we had to forgo Yang Ming Shan forever, as it was raining cats and dogs when we arrived up in the mountains. Fortunately, the weather turned bright during the final weekend we were there and we managed to see its thermal valley and some hiking trails up in the mountain, at 800 metres above sea level. The feeling was great, though a pity, there wasn’t much to offer in view as it was too foggy up there.

A short but impressionable trip which marked the end of my holidays in 2019. Time to get ready for the new year…

But before that, I will need to welcome the Christmas season – red and green and all things nice. And what better than to start off with a classic baked fish pie with potato and loads of cheese?

Ingredients:

  • Potato: 500g, peeled and quartered
  • Butter: 40g + 30g
  • Milk: 60ml + 375ml
  • Egg: 1
  • Cheddar cheese, 30g + 60g, grated
  • Salt: to taste
  • White fish fillet: 800g
  • Garlic: 1, finely chopped
  • Onion: 1, finely chopped
  • Plain flour: 2 tbsp
  • Dill: 1 stalk, finely chopped
  • Lemon rind: 2 tbsp
  • Lemon juice: 2 tbsp
  • Ground blackpepper: to taste

Method:

  1. Boil water. Cook potatoes with a pinch of salt for 15min.
  2. Drain potatoes. Return pot with potatoes to stove.
  3. Add 40g butter, 60ml milk, egg, 30g cheese and salt. Mash evenly.
  4. Turn off heat. Set potatoes aside.
  5. Place fish in a separate pot. Pour in 375ml milk to cover fish.
  6. Bring to a boil, then simmer 3min.
  7. Drain fish from milk and place fish inside a baking tray. Reserve milk.
  8. Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
  9. Heat 30g butter in pot. Saute garlic and onions for 2min.
  10. Add in flour and cook 1min, stirring continuously.
  11. Add in reserved milk. Stir till thickened.
  12. Add in dill, lemon rind, lemon juice, salt and blackpepper. Cook 1min.
  13. Pour sauce into baking tray to cover fish.
  14. Scoop mashed potato and place evenly onto fish to cover completely.
  15. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.
  16. Bake 35min till golden brown.

Disclaimer:

  • I cooked twice as much mashed potato for this recipe as is required as my baking tray was bigger and shallower. You can use a square or round baking dish for this dish and half the amount of the potatoes as an alternative to making this dish.

Serving:
6 persons

Share this!
This entry was posted in English, Potato and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *