Ingredients (4 servings):
400g white fish fillet
400g salmon
600ml full-fat milk
1 small onion, quartered
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
4 eggs
500 g spinach, chopped
100g butter
50g plain flour
A pinch grated nutmeg
1kg potato, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
50g cheddar, grated
Preparation:
Poach the fish: Put the fish in the frying pan and pour 500 ml milk over. Stud each onion quarter with a clove, then add to the milk, with the bay leaves. Bring the milk just to the boil – you will see a few small bubbles. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 mins. Lift the fish onto a plate and strain the milk into a jug to cool.
Flake the fish into large pieces in the baking dish.
Hard-boil the eggs. Bring a small pan of water to a gentle boil, then carefully lower the eggs in with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a gentle boil, with just a couple of bubbles rising to the surface. Set the timer for 8 min, cook, and then drain and cool in a bowl of cold water. Peel, slice into quarter.
Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 min over moderate heat. Take off the heat, pour in a little of the cold poaching milk, then stir until blended. Continue to add the milk gradually, mixing well until you have a smooth sauce. Return to the heat, bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins, stirring continually, until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the chopped spinach to the sauce and cook it for a while then add the fish flakes. Pour the fish/sauce mixture in a baking dish. Put the egg quarters on top of the fish.
Heat oven to 200C.
Boil the potatoes for 20 mins. Drain, season and mash with the remaining butter and milk. Use to top the pie, starting at the edge of the dish and working your way in – push the mash right to the edges to seal. Fluff the top with a fork, sprinkle with cheese, then bake for 20-30 min.
