Creamy Cod Pie

by Diana 

As much as we have been gladly embracing British life, we haven’t been able to adopt their love for potatoes. You’ll be lucky to find one or two potatoes a month in our larder- and if you do they have usually started sprouting as they have been there forever hoping to be used, and is just sad to witness their failure attempt to reproduce in such a potato-unwelcoming home.  

Having said that, I don’t want our 9 month old British tot to grow up and be the unpopular potato avoidant of the class so in order to prevent any form of bullying I am introducing him slowly to the national crop through some of those classic dishes we  ourselves have evaded for the last decade. 

I want to be able to say that this was a success and that the British culture is more powerful than our baby's heterogenous genes but he too hated even the sight of the little dish. My husband got excellent feedback about the pie though, from his British colleagues at the hospital, as he ended up with a choice-less packed lunch to take to his shift. They even discussed recipes and fish pie styles and methods - I knew at least one of us would gain some form of popularity from the old potatoes. Hope you enjoy this recipe more than we did!

© The Teaspoon

Ingredients

150 g cod fillets (or any boneless white fish if your choice) 

400 ml milk of your choice 

200 g frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, corn), steamed or boiled until cooked but firmed.

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 garlic clove, crushed 

1 small onion- finely diced 

2 tbsp all-purpose flour 

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

1 tsp salt in flakes (optional)

60 ml double cream (optional)

Olive oil spray

For the mash:

1 large potato 

2-3 tbsp milk of your choice 

1-2 tsp unsalted butter 

Method

Mash the potato with 2-3 tablespoons of milk and a teaspoon of butter until smooth. Set aside.

Place the cod in a saucepan with the milk and cook at medium heat for 30 minutes. Do not discard the milk as you'll use it for the Béchamel sauce. 

Description

Remove the cod from the pan and flake it carefully. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C/392F. 

In the same saucepan add the butter and sauté the garlic and onions until crystallised. Add the flour and mix well for 1 minutes. Then add the milk left when cooking the cod (approximately 250ml), bring to simmer and lower the heat. Add the pepper, nutmeg and double cream if using. When it starts thickening add the flaked cod and your vegetables. Mix carefully for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Pour the creamy mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with the mashed potato. Use a fork to create some texture on top. Spray with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the top is browned and slightly crispy.  

Enjoy!

© The Teaspoon

© The Teaspoon

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