Fisherman's Pie

I'm from England. Shepherd's pie-a casserole of ground meat, veggies, and mashed potatoes-is my heritage (it was even my last name, Shepherd, not pie(!) for the first 21 years of my life). There's also Fisherman's Pie, you know! I'm guessing you've never made it, so here's my basic recipe. Feel free to change it up a bit to match your tastes, just as you would any Shepherd's Pie recipe. Fisherman's Pie is a good way to introduce fish to someone who claims to not like it. The bottom layer is a creamy mixture of common veggies and fish or fish and shellfish. All of that is then topped with mashed potatoes and a sprinkle of cheese. The only spices are salt and pepper. What's not to like? Remember to use a nice white fish, and make sure it's fresh. Don't cook with anything smelly. Smelly fish is not good fish.

Fisherman's Pie

2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
salt
2 1/2 lbs fish and/or shellfish (I use half cod and half shrimp, or half scallops and half shrimp)
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups warm milk
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 cup frozen peas
pepper
approx. 2 T. butter
approx. 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese


Peel and cube potatoes. Put into a large saucepan, cover with cold water, add a tsp of salt and bring to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, cut fish into 1 inch chunks and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Add chopped onions to pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add in celery and carrots and saute for 3 more minutes. Heat milk in MW for 3 minutes. Stir flour into veggies in pan, stirring constantly over medium heat for 3 minutes (do this while milk is heating in the MW). Remove frying pan from heat and slowly stir in warm milk half a cup at a time. Completely incorporate each addition of milk-no lumps-before adding more milk. When all milk has been incorporated return mixture to burner over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in 1/4 cup diced parsley, fish/shellfish, and frozen peas to veggie mixture then pour the whole thing into the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch casserole pan. Drain cooked potatoes, stir in butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste and then mash. Pour the mashed potatoes over the fish/veggie mixture in the casserole dish, smooth potatoes with a small spatula. Sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Thanks for being a fan,
Polly