How to make creamy salmon and prawn pie with a crispy crushed potato topping

After finding that baking a fish can prevent that horrible smell from hanging around, Beverley Hicks has been reformed into a fish eater

Gone fishing: With plenty of Jalapeños and cornichons, this salmon pie has a warming kick to it (Photos Beverley Hicks)

I never used to be a lover of fish, mainly because I didn’t like the smell that hung around for days after cooking. But then, I discovered that if you bake it in the oven, the smell is a lot less pungent.

That revelation made me go from thinking I hated fish to loving it, literally overnight!

I know that this might be basic knowledge for regular fish cookers and eaters, but remember that I am a fish-cooking newbie.

You could make this pie with just salmon or your own combination of fish, including anything smoked, but I wanted to keep it quite simple so I just added a few prawns to the salmon for a little luxury.

If you do include smoked fish in your recipe, remember you won’t need as much seasoning.

This recipe is heavy on parsley, gherkins and capers, to mimic the tangy taste of tartar sauce – which I love –but you can adjust the quantities to suit your taste.

The addition of pickled jalapeños to the fish filling and a pinch of smoked sweet paprika to the crispy potato topping, gives it a gentle Mexican vibe, but if you fancy something a little more traditional, just leave them out altogether.

Smoked fish is also an option for this recipe (Beverley Hicks)

Creamy salmon and prawn pie with a crispy crushed potato topping

Serves 4

For the fish filling

500g salmon fillet
320ml whole milk
2 bay leaves
5-6 black peppercorns
30-40g fresh parsley
40g butter
40g plain flour
140ml double cream
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
15-20 cooked jumbo king prawns
2 medium, hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped pickled jalapeños
2 heaped tablespoon capers
10 cornichons, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the potato topping

600g baby pearl potatoes
½ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
A large knob of butter
1 tablespoon crème fraîche
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
30g pecorino cheese, finely grated

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/200F/Gas 6 and oil a large baking dish.

Remove the skin from the salmon, cut into bite-sized pieces and place in the baking dish along with the milk, bay leaves and peppercorns. Strip the leaves from the parsley stalks and put to one side. Add the stalks to the baking dish and bake, uncovered, for ten minutes. While the fish is cooking, finely chop the parsley leaves.

When the cooking time is up, remove from the oven and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the fish to a bowl. Be sure to remove the bay leaves, parsley stalks and peppercorns – these can be discarded. Leave the oven on. Strain the remaining liquid in the baking dish and leave to one side.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan on a medium heat, stir in the flour and gradually add the fish liquid, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Add the double cream, salt and pepper and simmer the sauce for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the chopped parsley.

Add the prawns to the salmon along with the hard-boiled eggs, jalapeños, capers, cornichons, lemon juice, and zest. Pour the sauce over the top and carefully mix everything together so as not to break up the fish flakes too much. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then pour the mixture into a buttered baking dish.

To make the topping, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and tip onto a large plate and roughly crush with a fork. Sprinkle over the smoked sweet paprika and, while still warm, add the butter and crème fraîche and mix together. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then spoon onto the fish mixture. Try not to smooth down too much – the rough edges will create lovely crispy bits when cooked.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add the grated cheese and return to the oven.

Serve with a dish of chopped jalapeños on the side for your guests plate to add a little extra heat if they wish. A simple green salad or some fresh peas will make this a light, but filling lunch or supper.

Follow Beverley Hicks on Instagram @thelittlechelseakitchen