How to make a deluxe fish pie for less – well worth considering as it’s brain food.
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Fish and Seafood | 12 comments
Photo: Fish Pie and crisp salad
Back in the 1990’s I discovered that I disliked poached salmon. A friend used to stay for the weekend every couple of weeks and she’d bring fresh salmon down as a treat. I made the mistake of enthusing when she produced it the first time. I should have known better – I had eaten a vile dish of curried chick peas for years with another friend. When I originally tasted the chick pea concoction my reaction was a shriek of horror which I attempted to disguise as a sob of delight.
Unfortunately, she was fooled.
Poached salmon also seemed to be a regular lunch party dish in the 1990’s. I forced it down with loads of salt and pepper and libations of wine. A large whisky before supper helped to deal with the fresh salmon experience chez moi.
When Danny discovered that I loathed fresh salmon his face puckered with disappointment. Stubborn to the end, he sometimes bought fresh salmon on offer. It was immediately relegated to the place in the freezer where no man dares to go – the drawer that always sticks so hard that you have to twist it to take a peek.
Last month, searching for ingredients for our fish pie , I grabbed a fresh pack of the loathed salmon to pad out the other ‘acceptable fish’.
I discovered that even if you have a deep hatred of the texture and taste of poached salmon, it works very well mixed with smoked fish and prawns in a fish pie. Danny was delighted so started to buy salmon from the condemned food counter in earnest.
This evening I made 15 hearty portions of fish pie. Half the fish was salmon, the rest was smoked haddock, coley and prawns. We had been squirreling cut priced, condemned food counter fish for the last month. If I’d paid full price for the fish and seafood the ingredients for the dish would have cost £25.00. We spent just under fifteen pounds for our complete budget priced dish.
We’d stopped eating fish pie for years as it was so expensive to make. When we started to really cut back on the amount of money that we spent on food we discovered that fish is often heavily discounted. Now it’s a regular treat dish. Waitrose fish counter often has good bargains on a Sunday afternoon (after 3 o’clock) in Newmarket. The Tesco CFC puts fresh fish right on the bottom shelf (so it won’t drip onto other food). As you have to crouch down to find the fish a lot of people don’t even spot the bargains.
Thank goodness for the freezer. Storing fresh fish and then deluxe fish pies for future treats. Making fish pies is a palaver – this evening it took me two hours. But cooking in bulk saves time and energy in the long run. The secret ingredients are the decent amount of parsley, the shimmy of garlic and the anchovy essence. This evening I used full cream milk and I reckon that the sauce tasted much more deluxe. I reckon that our fish pies are much tastier and far cheaper than the excellent Waitrose ones which weigh in at about a fiver for two dainty portions.
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God, I miss the CFCs. Over here it rare to find them. I used to bin dive very successfully, but they’ve moved the bins now as certain people were going and making a mess.
Your fish pie sounds lush!
x
HI, I love the tone and style of your site. It is a real find!
Re Chickpeas.. what a shame! These poor man’s hazelnuts can be very versatile. I like to roast in spices and a little oil until the pan is rendered unwashable with anything but a laser.. Or make use of the excellent Gram Flour and make flatbread by combining with oil and water until battery and pouring into a flat pan and baking like polenta… Or adding to one of many Nigel Slater soups as a Mediterranean ingredient..
Salmon? As before, soy, molasses and lemon marinade and further pan destruction or grilling in cubes…
I love fish pie. It certainly sounds like your fish pies will be much better than Waitrose. We have a small under the counter freezer which just isn’t working for us. I often want to freezer leftovers in individual portions or make a whole batch of things to save time for the days when nobody feels like cooking. The current one isn’t big enough and it gives everything freezer burn. It also frosts up…. I think we’ve decided to invest in a new tall freezer. It will take us a while to recoup the spend but it should be worth it.
My favourite way with frsh salmon is pan seared – really hot pan and really fast searing on each side.
However, your fishpies have such a scrummy recipe. So nice to have really good homemade food stashed away in the freezer.
I haven’t made fishpie since Zebbycat and self adopted each other. Zeb adores fish.
Cuddles and snuggles to you, Danny and the glorious Min Pins (please smuggle in an extra snuggly cuddle for Dr Q once more),
Michelle, xxx
We all love fish pie too!
I do have to say though that salmon is my favourite fish. I cook mine very similar to magic cochin but usually just with lemon, herbs and butter.
Have you tried it steamed with soy sauce,fresh ginger and honey? Delicious!
With regards to the chick peas I don’t blame you. Houmous is the only chick pea dish I like and even that has to be made just so.
Oh, how I love fish pie. It absolutely has to have smoked fish in it but on no account should it have cheese!
I was in Waitrose Newmarket last Sunday and thought of you!
I can’t get past your extreme politeness over the curried chick peas. As an aside to the main story, it’s worth a post in its own right. Brilliant!
I love fish pie. Actually I love fish full stop. Magic Cochin’s method of cooking salmon sounds interesting although I rarely cook with alcohol. I like to cook my salmon in the Remoska either with pesto or sun-dried tomato paste smeared generously over it or sweet chili dipping sauce. Fiona, if Joolsfw passes on that recipe to you, will you let me have it too? I have a friend arriving tomorrow to stay a few days and I think I might make fish pie, I’m fairly sure I have enough variety of fish in the freezer.
Mmmmmm? Isn’t it funny how everyone’s tastes are different. I wouldn’t put smoked fish in or cheese on top of my fish pie. And I love poached salmon 🙂
To cook salmon I like to lightly fry chopped spring onion and lots of herbs in a little butter. Add the fish then a BIG slosh of dry Vermouth and a little boiling water – to depth of about quarter of an inch. Season with sqalt and black pepper, cover pan and cook until fish is done. Remove fish to warm plate. Stir in a dollop of creme fraiche to the liquid and reduce a bit.
Serve with new potatoes and homegrown mange tout. Would this covert you?
Celia
Have you ever tried an old 18th century recipe for a poupon of salmon as written by John Nott? It’s a really smart version of a fish pie and absolutely delicious. And you add asparagus, so it is perfect to make at this time of year . Slightly fiddly to prepare but delicious and as the salmon is incorporated into the crust as well as being part of the filling 😉
Do let me know if you’d like the recipe.