Seafood Made Simple: Goldie's Aishling Moore presents her Ultimate Fish Pie

Aishling Moore's ultimate fish pie. Picture: Chani Anderson

Christmas dinner in our house is very traditional. Turkey, smoked ham, potatoes every which way and of course it wouldn’t be Christmas in Cork without some spiced beef. 

A little smoked salmon with scrambled eggs on Christmas morning is as close as I get to my usual marine based cuisine.

On Christmas Eve however, I always like to cook and eat seafood. 

For the past five years I’ve been making this seafood pie, it’s become something of a tradition since Goldie opened in 2019.

Decadent and comforting, it’s a dish I crave most during the busy weeks in the restaurant leading up to Christmas.

I’ve made some tweaks to this recipe over the years sometimes adding salt fish, other times adding a handful of frozen peas. 

I’ll often add a kilo or so of cooked and shelled mussels or some langoustines if I’m feeling decadent. 

Smoked fish are a non-negotiable inclusion for me, although you can use any fish you like in this very versatile recipe.

The addition of egg yolks produces a wonderful golden brown-topped pie. 

"For the past five years I’ve been making this seafood pie, it’s become something of a tradition since Goldie opened in 2019."

I like to use both milk and fish stock for the sauce for some real depth of flavour, and a little white wine to offer some relief from all that richness.

Baking the potatoes produces fantastic mash but you can steam or boil them if you’d prefer. 

Or, if you’d rather not go to the trouble of making mash, you can top with a sheet of puff pastry, brush with egg wash and cook at the same temperature and time in the oven.

It’s a handy dish you can make ahead of time and have ready to be popped in a preheated oven. 

Perfect at this time of year where everyone is constantly coming and going. Serve with some steamed greens or a crisp salad.

The Ultimate Fish Pie

recipe by:Aishling Moore

A handy dish you can make ahead of time and have ready to be popped in a preheated oven. Perfect when everyone is constantly coming and going. Serve with some steamed greens or a crisp salad.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the potato topping:

• 1.3kg potatoes

• 110g butter

• 30g cream

• 2 egg yolks

• For the filling:

• 400ml milk

• 300g fish, diced into bite sized chunks (such as hake, monkfish, pollock, cod)

• 150g smoked fish diced into bite sized chunks (such as haddock, coley or pollock)

• 70g butter

• 1 leek, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 70g plain flour

• 350ml fish stock

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

• 1 tbsp dill, chopped

• 1 lemon, zested

Method

1. Preheat an oven to 190°C.

2. Using a fork prick the potatoes all over and place on a roasting tray. Bake for 45- 65 minutes or until a knife glides through the potato without any resistance.

3. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly before cutting in half and scooping out all the cooked inner flesh. Mash the potatoes. In a small saucepan warm the cream and butter until melted and add to the potatoes. Season with sea salt. Fold the egg yolks through and set aside.

4. To make the filling, add the milk to a medium sized saucepan and place on a medium heat to warm. Once warmed add the diced fish and smoked fish to poach.

5. Cook for 4 minutes until the fish is just cooked.

6. Carefully remove the fish from the milk using a slotted spoon and set aside.

7. In a separate medium sized saucepan cook the leek and garlic in butter for 4 minutes.

8. Add the plain flour and mix well. Slowly add the still warmed milk to the pot mixing all the time to prevent lumps.

9. Add the fish stock and cook for 8 minutes to thicken.

10. Remove from the heat and add the chopped herbs, mustard and lemon zest, season to taste. Add the poached fish to this sauce and place in an 8.5 x 11.5-inch oven dish.

11. Top with the enriched mashed potatoes and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.

Chef know-how

 

• For the potato topping I like to use a potato ricer for a velvety textured mash.
• Baking the potatoes like so produces a lovely dry and flavourful mashed potato. Here I’ve used roosters.
• Adding the already warmed milk reserved from the poaching of the fish ensures a lump free and creamy roux-based sauce.
• This pie can be made a day in advanced and popped in a preheated oven. If doing so, remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.
• Reserve the potato skins, toss in a little rapeseed oil and season with sea salt. Roast on a baking tray at 180°C for 12 minutes. Use as a topping for salads, soups or cover with cheese and serve with some sour cream and hot sauce for a simple starter.