Fleur Sullivan's Smoked Fish Pie

A classic from a classic - this fish pie is the quintessential winter seaside dish. Taken from the Great New Zealand Cookbook, a collection of recipes authored by a canon of Kiwi food writers and chefs.

Fleur's Place is a New Zealand institution. Assembled from reclaimed materials from all over the country, and sitting on the site of an early whaling station, the restaurant and cafe is a truly unique spot to enjoy the freshest seafood and local produce Moeraki Bay and the wider Central Otago area have to offer. At the helm is Fleur Sullivan, renowned amongst foodies the globe over for her one of a kind restaurant. Here's her recipe for a hearty fish pie. 

INGREDIENTS

4 large potatoes

100 g butter

splash of cream

1 kg smoked fish fillets

12 smoked mussels, shells removed

200 g spinach leaves

400 ml fish stock

50 ml lemon juice

50 ml white wine

50 g plain flour

1 tbsp seeded mustard

40 g chopped fresh parsley or other fresh herbs

Pre-heat the oven to 180–190°C.

Serves 4. 

Peel, boil and mash potatoes with 50 grams of butter, some salt and pepper and the cream. Break up fish and roughly chop mussels, and set aside. Wash and chop spinach leaves.

Bring fish stock to the boil together with lemon juice and wine. In a separate pan, melt remaining butter, then slowly add flour, stirring well and being careful not to burn it. Then gradually add your stock gradually – add the hot liquid a ladleful at a time, mixing well each time, until you have a smooth, glossy velouté sauce. Add the mustard and herbs.

Mix the sauce with the fish and mussels, place in large ramekins and top with spinach and then mashed potato. Bake until hot (20–22 minutes), and serve hot with salad.

This recipe is taken from The Great New Zealand Cookbook, available now in all good bookstores, RRP$49.95