Fish and chips are a classic British staple, but have you tried them in a pie? This is a fish pie with a twist. The creamy filling invokes the flavours of tartare sauce with the gherkins and capers which lend a pleasing sharpness. In the middle a surprise layer of boiled eggs nestled in the sauce like little treasures, then topped with the luxurious fish filling and laced with peas. A layer of oven baked chips is the finishing touch.
Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Medium
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Ingredients
oven chips 500 g
egg 3 (boiled)
onion 2 (chopped)
capers 2 tbsp
flat leaf parsley 1 (chopped)
frozen peas 150 g
unsalted butter 50 g
plain flour 50 g
whole milk 500 ml
crème fraîche 2 tbsp
fish pie mix 340 g
vinegar 1 tbsp
gherkins 2 tbsp
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
Pop the chips on a baking tray and bake for 12 - 15 minutes.
Boil the egg for 7 minutes, then drain and cool in cold water. Once cooled, peel and chop into quarters. If you prefer a runnier yolk you can cook them for 6 minutes. Set aside until step 7.
Meanwhile, finely chop the onions and chop the gherkins. Reserve a spoonful of the brine from each of the jars of the gherkins and the capers. FInely chop the parsley. Defrost the peas.
Heat the butter in a medium saucepan on a medium-low heat. Add the onion, with a pinch of salt and cook for around 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring well to cook evenly
Gradually pour in the milk, stirring well all the time to avoid lumps and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 4 - 5 minutes. Add the gherkins, capers and their reserved brine and crème fraîche. Season to taste then tip in the peas, fish pie mix and parsley and stir gently to combine.
Layer half the pie filling in the base of a pie dish. We used an approx 26cm dish. Scatter over the chopped eggs then top with the rest of the filling.
Remove the part-baked chips from the oven and toss together with the malt vinegar and a pinch of salt. Scatter the chips on top in a single layer.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving. Plate up and enjoy!
