This should really be called ‘Indian inspired fish pie’ as I highly doubt you’d find it on the streets of Delhi……however, it has a nice spicy touch! This recipe can be left completely untouched and authentically English without the Indian influence but if you fancy a twist on your usual fish pie then it adds a really interesting and tasty alternative. It reminds me of a ‘kedgeree pie’…….
- 500g mixed fish fillets (salmon, smoked haddock and cod) chopped in large chunks
- 1 large handful prawns
- 1 handful peas
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp curry paste (optional) mild or hot- I used Patak’s Curry Paste
- 1 egg (hard boiled, peeled and chopped)
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 250g puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- 35g unsalted butter
- 35g flour
- 500ml milk
- 1 bay leaf
- Heat some olive oil in a pan and soften the chopped onion for about 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, then set aside.
- Next, make the white sauce. Warm the milk in a pan with a bay leaf before melting the butter in another pan over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then remove from the heat and stir in the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon to form a paste. Return to the heat and cook the paste, mixing all the time, for 1 minute.
- Add a ladle of milk to the paste, whisking hard to prevent it going lumpy, until thickened and continue adding the milk until the sauce is thick and smooth (remove the bay leaf). Bubble briskly for about 5 minutes until thick enough. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.
- Add the curried onion mix to the sauce, along with the peas, prawns, chopped egg, parsley and fish and stir to combine. Transfer to a suitable serving dish and using the beaten egg, coat the edges of the dish so the pastry lid will stick better.
- Roll the puff pastry on a floured surface, to the correct size to fit as a lid and cover the fish filling. With the overhanging pastry, scrunch up the excess and stick it to the edges of the dish to get a big pastry crust around the edge (the best bit)
- Brush the whole pie with beaten egg and transfer to a preheat oven at 180°C for about 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed and the filling is hot!
