PROJECT Dive in

Spend a little time making our creamy fish pie – it freezes well for busier days

Smoky fish, prawn & bacon pie

SERVES 6-8 PREP 30 mins

COOK 1 hr 20 mins EASY ❄

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped

4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped, or 200g smoked lardons

50ml non-alcoholic white wine or vermouth

100g unsalted butter

3 tbsp plain flour

600ml whole milk, plus a splash

250g crème fraîche

1 tbsp Dijon mustard handful of parsley, finely chopped

1 lemon, zested and juiced (optional)

800g floury potatoes, cut into chunks

300g white fish, such as cod or haddock

300g smoked cod or haddock fillet

250g raw peeled king prawns

100g gruyère or cheddar, grated

25g parmesan, grated

2 pinches of cayenne pepper

1 Heat the oil in a large pan over a lowmedium heat and cook the onion and fennel with a pinch of salt for 10-15 mins until softened and starting to caramelise.

2 Add the bacon and sizzle for 5 mins until starting to crisp. Splash in the non-alcoholic vermouth and bubble for 1-2 mins until reduced. Stir in 50g butter to melt, then add the flour and quickly stir to make a paste. Pour in the milk, a splash at a time, whisking continuously until you have a smooth, silky sauce. Stir in the crème fraîche, mustard and parsley. Add a little lemon juice or zest.

3 Meanwhile, tip the potatoes into a large pan of water, bring to the boil and cook for 12-15 mins, until tender enough that a knife easily slides in. Drain well, then leave to steam-dry.

4 Remove the skin and any bones from the fish and cut into large chunks. Put in a baking dish (ours was 20 x 25cm) and scatter over the prawns. Mash the potatoes with the remaining 50g butter and a splash of milk Stir in half the cheese and a pinch of cayenne pepper, and season well with salt.

5 Pour the sauce over the fish and gently mix to coat. Spoon or pipe the mash on top Scatter over the remaining cheese and another pinch of cayenne. At this stage, the pie will keep chilled for up to a day or is more nutritious than a pale yellow one? Most often, the colour of the yolk simply comes down to what the hen is being fed, which can include a small amount of safe colouring. Individual labels will tell you more about how the hen has been reared, so refer to them for more information.

6 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cook for 35 mins (or 40 mins from chilled) until the topping is golden and crisp, and the sauce is piping hot.

How To Store

Egg quality deteriorates rapidly at room temperature (and salmonella bacteria can also multiply much faster), so the fridge is the best place to store them. However, bear in mind that eggshells are porous, so don’t store them next to strong-smelling food, as they can become tainted. It is true that room temperature eggs whip up quicker, so if you need to make billowy meringue, pop your eggs in some slightly warm water for 10 minutes before cracking on.

Yolks Vs Whites

One of the most amazing things about eggs is that the yolk and white have such different setting qualities, which can be used for different effects in your cooking. For instance, a custard made with more whites and whole eggs will be firm and glossy, whereas one made using only yolks will be tender and creamy.