A year later. The Hastings Fish Pie

Variable 4, becoming east or northeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times.

Mainly smooth, becoming slight or moderate.

Fair.

Good.

It`s a year now since I moved here. And a year of food blogging.  A year in which I went from full Vegetarian to part time Vegetarian. A year in which I learned about fish, thanks to the Boys Ashore.

So I decided to celebrate this occasion by creating a Hastings dish. Of course it must have something to do with fish. Local fish. Fish you can buy at the Rock-A-Nore.

But if they don’t have the ones I have chosen, feel free to substitute. Just ask your fishmonger which fish would be suitable and has the smallest carbon footprint. Ask him to give you one which is not endangered. And if you are really scared to debone a fish yourself, be very nice and ask him to do that for you. Just make sure you take the bones and head with you.
But why not try to do it yourself? Here is a very good video how it is properly done. And if you make the first time a mess, who cares? It goes into a fish pie.

Why a fish pie? It is a rather humble fish dish..a bit like Hastings. There is something old fashioned about it. Deeply comforting. Forgiving. Easy to do. Not pretentious. Has seen better days but still holds its head up.

But it is not as cheap and cheerful as the countless Fish & Chips shops you find in Hastings. And quite a few are pretty bad!

There are several rules:

1. No salmon. I don’t think salmon works very well in any fish pie. It is ...boring. There is more to fish than salmon.

2. Don`t cook the fish in advance.

3. Use scalloped potatoes as a topping. This was a bit tricky, after all a good fish pie can be eaten with a spoon; and while the obligatory mash on top will fulfil that credo, scalloped potatoes have a bit more bite. But I think a fish pie can be a bit more adult. Not everything needs to be nursery food.

4. Don`t add peas to it. Yes, I know. Mrs Beeton`s fish pie has peas in it, but I prefer mushy peas. Another nod to Hastings` fish “culture”. However be warned. There is a reason I don’t show the fish pie on a plate on top of mushy peas. It`s a bit messy looking. But delicious.

5. If you don’t have anchovies, add a bit more parmesan.

6. English mustard keeps it regional, but if you don’t have it, use Dijon or any other strong mustard.

7. If you cant be bothered doing your own fish stock, a good quality fish stock cube is acceptable.

8. Dont skip the white wine.

9. Experiment. Why not add scallops to it, after all Rye is not far away. 

10. Enjoy.

Hastings Fish Pie

100g boneless Whiting fillet, skinned and cut into small chunks

100g boneless Huss fillet, skinned and cut into small chunks

150 ml fish stock (just boil the heads and bones of the fish in 250ml of water, add half a bay leaf, a bit of parsley, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper and simmer away until it is 150ml)

50ml white wine

15g butter

15g flour

100ml double cream

1/2 tsp English mustard

1 splash of Worcestershire sauce

1 anchovy, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 tsp chopped parsley

15g salted butter

200g white potatoes, peeled, and sliced into thin rounds

Freshly ground white pepper

10g grated Parmesan

Either do your own mushy peas or by a tin.

Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan over a low heat, then stir in the flour. Gradually add the drained stock and wine, stirring well until it has all been added. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the double cream and the anchovy and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the sauce has a thick-coating consistency. Stir in the mustard and the Worcestershire sauce, and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper if necessary. Leave to cool for about 15 minutes. Add the parsley.

Gently fold the raw fish into the sauce, and spoon into an oven proof dish, to about 3cm from the top of the dish. Leave to set for about 30 minutes.

(This can be all done it advance. Just store it in the fridge, but take it out when you preheat the oven).

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling, salted water for 4-5 minutes.  If the potatoes are too hard they will be waxy and the butter will run off them.

Drain well and leave to cool a little.

Top the fish mixture with the sliced potatoes, overlapping them slightly (here is a good picture what I mean with overlapping, mine were a bit square-ish).

Brush the potatoes with melted butter; add a bit of white pepper and bake for 30 minutes, then scatter on the cheese, and bake for a further 15 minutes until golden.

If you have, unlike me, a very steady hand, take the whole pie out of the dish and place it over a good portion of warm mushy peas. Otherwise eat it side by side, one fork pie, one fork mushy peas.

Of course it is allowed to drink the white wine you used for the sauce. After all the bottle is now open, isn’t it?

And celebrate the sea. And the fact that Hastings still has a working harbour.