How to make the Claridge’s fish pie

Claridge’s restaurant introduced its fish pie in autumn 2024, and it quickly became a permanent fixture on the menu. Four types of fish – smoked haddock, prawns, and cured cod and salmon – are placed on a bed of velouté, quartered eggs lined on top and sprinkled with capers, before being piped with a gently-flavoured mash.

 

To get the best out of the langoustines that decorate the pie, the team decided to use the head as decoration, and cook two tails in butter rather than bake them with the rest of the dish.

 

Veloute

• 550g leek
• 1kg shallot
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 spring of thyme
• 300g dry white wine
• 400g Noilly Prat ( vermouth)
• 1400g semi skimmed milk
• 150ml double cream
• 1 spring of rosemary
• 10g agar agar
• 2g xanthan gum
• 10g salt

 

Sweat down leek, shallot and garlic with a spring of thyme and bay leaf, no colour,

 

Add the smoked haddock and cook until it starts to flake then add the alcohol, and reduce to syrup.

 

Add the milk and the cream bring to boil and infuse in a spring of rosemary.

 

For every litre of sauce add 10g of agar agar and two of xanthan, blitz with a hand blender, bring to boil, then cool down and once is set blitz to a smooth puree, season with dill, chives, chervil and lemon zest.

 

Soft boiled eggs

• Two eggs

 

Place for seven minutes in the steamer at 100°C.

 

Smoked haddock

• One fillet, pin-boned and skin removed, diced into 1cm cubes

 

Vac pack in a single layer and steam cook at 60°C for five minutes. Leave to chill.

 

 

Salmon

• 200g salt
• 400g sugar 
• One side of salmon

 

Remove the skin and cure the salmon with salt and sugar mix for one hour. Wash and dice into 1cm cubes.

 

Vac pack in a single layer and steam cook at 60°C for seven minutes. Chill.

 

Cod

• 200g salt
• 400g sugar
• One side of cod

 

Remove the skin and cure the cod for one hour, wash, and dice into 1cm cubes.

 

Vac pac in single layer and cook 60°C for seven minutes.

 

Potato top

• 3kg dry mash
• 90g butter
• 150g milk
• 300g egg yolk
• 30g grated horseradish