CREAMY SEAFOOD COTTAGE PIE TOPPED WITH CREAMY MASH GRATIN
100g Butter
1 Onion peeled and roughly chopped
3 Garlic cloves
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
50ml white wine (optional)
400ml whole milk
100 ml fish or chicken stock
1 bay leaf
500g firm fish like Salmon, Kingklip, smoked haddock
(you can add mussels, calamari and clams as well)
250g Prawns / small shrimps (shelled)
2 sliced leeks
3/4 cup of blanched frozen peas
English mustard to taste
1 lemon
50g flour
parsley
2 T breadcrumbs/ 2 T parmesan
Potatoes for Mashing:
Bake these in the oven and then remove from the skins. Add lots of butter and salt and mash well. Do not add milk, as it become too watery.
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FISH POACHING LIQUID:
In a heavy based pan melt 50g butter and add onions, then garlic and thyme, and sweat over low heat.
Add white wine and reduce by half.
Add milk, stock and bay leaf and warm.
FISH:
Season cut up seafood and add to the warm poaching liquid, which you put back on a low heat.
Poach GENTLY in batches for a 3 – 4 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and put in a casserole baking dish and keep warm.
Pass the poaching liquid through a sieve.
LEEKS/PEAS
Put butter in another pan and add leeks and cook for 5 more minutes until soft. Add to the seafood mix in the casserole dish. Add in the peas.
WHITE SAUCE:
Melt 50g butter and stir in flour to make a roux, then slowly add poaching liquid to make a thickish béchamel style white sauce.
Whisk in mustard, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Check seasoning.
Cool slightly and add parsley.
Pour this sauce over the seafood and stir in gently.
TOPPING:
Pipe over either mashed potato or caulimash.
Top with crumbs and grated parmesan.
Bake for 20 – 30 mins at 180.