Do you ever come back to what we call good old fashioned food? Some of the recipes we had as children that our mothers or even grandmothers cooked for us. I do. Like this delicious fish pot pie revamped with tasty smoky hot spiced salmon, broccoli, egg and a healthier olive oil base sauce. The pastry top was always great if you are a pastry lover like me so that’s a keeper – it ain’t goin know where. Old fashioned fish pot pie becomes new fashioned fish pot pie. Winter comfort food at its best.
You will need four 250ml (serves 4) or two 500ml (serves 2) ovenproof ramekins or pie dishes for this recipe.
700g hot smoked salmon
2 cups milk
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, roughly chopped
1 cup broccoli florets, blanched
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 heaped tablespoon flour
100ml (5 tablespoons) white wine or vegetable stock
2 (25 x 25cm) sheets puff-pastry
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 180 degrees/C.
Place the fish, milk and bay leaves in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving the milk. Discard the skin from the fish, break flesh into flakes and place in a large bowl. Add parsley, eggs and broccoli.
In a clean saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to cook the flour. Add the wine or stock and the reserved milk, season with salt and pepper and whisk to ensure no lumps develop. Whisk while cooking for a further 2-3 minutes until thickened. Gently stir the sauce through the fish mixture. Divide between the pie dishes, then set aside.
Cut out pastry tops from the pastry sheets for your pie dishes and brush one side with the beaten egg. Place pastry, egg side down, over the dish, pressing down to stick to the sides of the dish. Brush top with remaining egg and bake for 20 minutes until golden.
