Stranger Foods

BritishFish pie with saffron mash

Serves 6 | Prep 30 mins | Cook 1 hr 15 mins

A great dinner party dish. This can be made ahead and frozen so there's always something ready to entertain guests.

Ingredients

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Imperial

x0.5

For the topping

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Tip the shallots and vinegar into a saucepan and place on the heat so the vinegar evaporates quickly. Splash in the white wine and reduce until practically dry. Add cream, bring to the boil, then simmer gently until reduced by two-thirds and very thick. Leave to cool. Cut the fish into bite-size chunks and set aside with the prawns.
Tip spinach into a large colander and pour over boiling water from a kettle until all the spinach is wilted (you may need to do this more than once). Cool under the cold tap, then squeeze the spinach tightly to get rid of any excess liquid.
To make the topping, mash the saffron, garlic and chilli together using a pestle and mortar. Tip into a saucepan with the milk, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat to infuse. Bring the potatoes to the boil and simmer for until soft. Drain, then mash well with the infused milk, olive oil, lemon juice and zest.
Heat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. To assemble the pie, mix the fish and prawns into the cold cream until completely coated. Tip the fish into the bottom of a large gratin dish and scatter over clumps of crabmeat. Unravel the spinach and lay it over the fish, then top with the mash. Cook the pie for about until golden and starting to brown and bubble around the edges. Serve with green veg if you like.