Recipe of the week – Sheekey's fish pie

Our recipe of the week, Sheekey's Fish Pie, was taken from the book J Sheeky Fish - read the review here.

INGREDIENTS
(Serves four)

200g cod fillet (or another white chunky fish such as halibut or monkfish), skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks
200g salmon fillet, skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks
200g smoked haddock fillet, skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks
½ small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

For the sauce 50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
125ml white wine
500ml fish stock
90ml double cream
1tbs English mustard
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp anchovy essence
½ lemon, juiced
Salt and ground white pepper

For the topping 1kg floury potatoes, peeled, cooked and dry mashed
50g unsalted butter
50ml milk
Salt and ground white pepper
20g fresh white breadcrumbs
10g freshly grated Parmesan

METHOD

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a low heat and gently stir in the flour. Gradually add the wine, stirring well. Slowly add the fish stock until you have a silky smooth sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. To finish, add the cream and briefly bring to the boil again. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy essence and lemon juice. (Add more mustard and Worcestershire sauce if you like it spicy.) Check the seasoning.

Gently fold the fish and parsley into the hot sauce, and pour into a large pie dish, leaving a space of about 3cm from the top of the dish. Leave to cool, so the topping will sit on the sauce when piped.

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C. Mix butter and milk into the mashed potato until soft enough to spread over the fish mixture. Season. Pipe or gently fork to cover the fish. Bake the fish pie for 30 minutes. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and cheese, and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden.

RECOMMENDED WINE

Sheekey's fish pie is a classic of the London restaurant scene, and calls for a wine of similarly classic pedigree. Buttery mash and a creamy, buttery sauce are the dominating factors, and I'm reaching first for white Burgundy. Pouilly Fuissé and St Véran would be fine foils, Meursault and Chassagne-Montrachet if the pocket allows. A New World Chardonnay with Burgundy-esque restraint, such as the brilliant Kooyong Estate in Victoria, Australia, would go well with this dish too.

Zeren Wilson is a food writer and wine consultant who runs restaurant review sitewww.bittenandwritten.com