Liz McGougan, head chef-director at Cafe Fish, showcases fish from the Isle of Mull in her sumptuous pie.
Ingredients
Before you start...
When making mash, find the driest and flouriest potatoes you can possibly find. Also use a hand mixer to ensure you don't get lumps as you would when using a masher.
For the béchamel sauce:
- ½ small onion, peeled
- 3 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- 450 ml15¾ fl oz full-fat milk
- 300 ml10½ fl oz double cream
- 50 g1¾ oz unsalted butter
- 50 g1¾ oz plain flour
For the mash topping:
- 1¼ kg2¾ lb floury potatoes, preferably King Edward or Maris Piper, peeled and chopped
- 50 g1¾ oz unsalted butter
- 100 ml3½ fl oz double cream
- 180 g6¼ oz mature Cheddar cheese
- 80 g2¾ oz parmesan cheese
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 100 g3½ oz cooked spinach, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
For the filling:
- 200 g7 oz fillets of smoked haddock, skinned, boned and cut into chunks
- 200 g7 oz fillets of haddock, skinned, boned and cut into chunks
- 150 g5¼ oz fillets of salmon, skinned, boned and cut into chunks
- 20 queen scallops, shelled
- 26 squat lobsters or prawns, shelled
- 160 g5¾ oz white crab meat
To serve:
- 1 head of kale, shredded
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 150 g5¼ oz peas, fresh or frozen
- Knob of butter
For the granary bread (optional):
- 420 g14¾ oz granary flour
- 85 g3 oz berrymeal flour
- 85 g3 oz rye flour
- 20 g¾ oz fast acting dried yeast
- 1 tbsp salt
- 25 ml1 fl oz sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp clear runny honey
- 330 ml11½ fl oz warm water
Method: How to make Sound of Mull fish pie
For the béchamel sauce:
Stud the onion with the cloves and put it in a large pan with the bay leaf, peppercorns, milk and cream and bring to the boil. Melt the butter in a separate large pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the warmed milk and cream and bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the time. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the flour is cooked and the sauce thickened.
For the mash topping:
Boil the potatoes in a large pan for 15–20 minutes. Drain, mash and add the butter and cream. Add 100g of the Cheddar cheese together with the Parmesan, nutmeg and spinach and mix together well. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas 4).
For the filling:
Put the two types of haddock and the salmon into the béchamel sauce and warm for 2 minutes to infuse the flavours. Then add the scallops, squat lobsters or prawns and crab meat and gently cook for a further 2–3 minutes until the prawns are cooked. Place the fish mix in six individual pie dishes and top with the spinach mash and remaining Cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
To serve:
Blanch the kale, broccoli and peas for 5 minutes and toss with butter. Place the pies on warmed plates and add the vegetables. The chef suggests serving this dish with warm granary bread.
To make the bread (optional):
Oil a 1lb/450g loaf tin. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl to a dough-like consistency. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, then place in the tin, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for an hour in a warm, dry place. After the mixture has risen, place in a preheated oven at 200C/gas mark 6 for 45 minutes–1 hour. Keep the oven at 200C/ gas mark 6 to cook the fish pies.
