Sea Pie
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 4:51 pm
Anyone who has read the Aubrey/Maturin series has come across this dish, although it is never described. Apparently it originated in France as Six Pâtes - six pastries - and was a multi-layered meat pie. In Quebec it began to be spelled phonetically as cipaille, and was adopted by the Brits as Sea Pie. Here's a fishy version, using mashed potato instead of all that pastry.
Line a greased oven dish with mashed potato. If you like to use the instant sort go for the herbed or garlic kind. Then fill with layers of various kinds of fish, with peas and a parsley/onion sauce.* Here's my first layer, with smoked cod:
and with some peas and some sauce:
Now with haddock on top of that:
Then peas again, some more sauce and some more smoked cod:
Then all the rest of the sauce:
And a lid of more mashed potato:
Sprinkle some parsley and black pepper on top (I would say cheese, but my son doesn't like it and I made this for him):
Have some asparagus ready to steam - it will take 10 minutes only:
Bake for 20 minutes at 425ºF, then give it 4-5 minutes under the grill:
and serve (messy, but good!):
*the sauce is easy. Melt a knob of butter in a pan over a low heat. Sprinkle two teaspoons cornflour through a fine sieve, mixing it as you go. Keep stirring or you get lumps. If you get behind, take the pan off the heat and work the cornflour into the butter. Once done, slowly add a cup of whole milk, just a bit at a time and keep stirring. Once all ingredients are in and mixed with no lumps you have made your first roux sauce!. Then add one small onion, finely chopped, and a handful of fresh chopped parsley, or 1/3 cup dried parsley (I used parsley from the garden that I dehydrated and it's still green but crumbly and dry). Keep stirring as the flour cooks. You can add a few drips of milk if too thick, or some more sifted cornflour if it doesn't thicken. If you didn't use garlicky mashed potato, some garlic flakes can go in now, and if feeling decadent replace some of the volume of milk with white wine. Once cooked (it loses the floury taste) take it off the heat and spoon it into the sea pie as you build it.
Chris
Line a greased oven dish with mashed potato. If you like to use the instant sort go for the herbed or garlic kind. Then fill with layers of various kinds of fish, with peas and a parsley/onion sauce.* Here's my first layer, with smoked cod:
and with some peas and some sauce:
Now with haddock on top of that:
Then peas again, some more sauce and some more smoked cod:
Then all the rest of the sauce:
And a lid of more mashed potato:
Sprinkle some parsley and black pepper on top (I would say cheese, but my son doesn't like it and I made this for him):
Have some asparagus ready to steam - it will take 10 minutes only:
Bake for 20 minutes at 425ºF, then give it 4-5 minutes under the grill:
and serve (messy, but good!):
*the sauce is easy. Melt a knob of butter in a pan over a low heat. Sprinkle two teaspoons cornflour through a fine sieve, mixing it as you go. Keep stirring or you get lumps. If you get behind, take the pan off the heat and work the cornflour into the butter. Once done, slowly add a cup of whole milk, just a bit at a time and keep stirring. Once all ingredients are in and mixed with no lumps you have made your first roux sauce!. Then add one small onion, finely chopped, and a handful of fresh chopped parsley, or 1/3 cup dried parsley (I used parsley from the garden that I dehydrated and it's still green but crumbly and dry). Keep stirring as the flour cooks. You can add a few drips of milk if too thick, or some more sifted cornflour if it doesn't thicken. If you didn't use garlicky mashed potato, some garlic flakes can go in now, and if feeling decadent replace some of the volume of milk with white wine. Once cooked (it loses the floury taste) take it off the heat and spoon it into the sea pie as you build it.
Chris