Fish pie

The term "comfort food" is overused in food writing, but it perfectly encapsulates this dish. This is a no-frills, hearty meal, free from the pretensions of fancy ingredients, intricate garnishes, or tweezer-ing of microgreens. It's about wholesome ingredients coming together in a large casserole dish, topped generously with mashed potato, and served with love on a cold night.

For this recipe, I've chosen blue grenadier fillet, an ideal choice due to its firm texture that holds up well during cooking and its minimal bone content. Also known as cod or hoki, this fish is commonly found in the southern waters of Australia and is readily available. From a sustainability standpoint, the blue grenadier has mixed ratings. The Marine Stewardship Council and the Australian federal government deem it sustainable, but the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) rates it as yellow, suggesting it be consumed less frequently due to seal deaths associated with its fishing. You can find more information at https://goodfishbadfish.com.au/fish/blue-grenadier/. Feel free to substitute with any firm fish of your choice.

I sometimes add prawn cutlets to the dish for a burst of colour, but they are optional.

Serves 4

• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 2 large eggs

• 50 g baby spinach

• olive oil

• 1 leek, thinly sliced

• 1 carrot, peeled and diced

• 250 ml cream

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 1 heaped tbl Dijon mustard

• 2 tbl chopped flat leaf parsley

• 8 green prawn cutlets (optional)

• 450 g of firm fish, e.g. blue grenadier, skin removed and bones removed

• additional olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

• freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 210°C fan/230°C.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add in the potatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Gently add the eggs and continue to boil for 8 minutes.

Remove the eggs and place in a bowl of cold water.

Drain the potatoes.

Peel and quarter the eggs.

In a large frypan, heat olive oil. Gently fry leek and carrot until soft.

Whilst that is cooking, chop the fish into bite-sized pieces, checking for any small bones.

Add cream to carrot mixture and gently stir until just boiling. Remove pan from the heat and add lemon juice, mustard and parsley. Mix to combine.

Place the fish, prawns, eggs and spinach into a large casserole dish. Pour over the creamy sauce and gently mix.

Mash the potatoes. Add a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add nutmeg and stir. Spread potato over the fish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the potato is golden brown on top.

Serve with some fresh peas topped with butter.

Updated November 2023