Curried Fish Pie

Curried Fish Pie

Fish pie is great, no one can deny that. And curry, too, is an equally wonderful meal, fully inaugurated amongst the greats of British cuisine alongside a traditional recipe like fish pie. 

But there's something even better than curry or fish pie- and that's curried fish pie. 

When it's a cold, drizzly grey evening and you want the comfort of a delicious, steaming fish pie with that perfect bubbling golden top, but also crave the spice and rich flavours of a good old curry, this fusion of curry and fish pie is the perfect combination for all those cravings. 

I'll admit, I was uncertain as to whether I would like it, and whether it would be better than it's two counterparts. 

Well let me tell you I loved it. 

And my dad, fish-pie connoisseur extraordinaire, and self-confessed curry-lover, approved as well. Which is saying something, because usually he likes to stick to the authentic, traditional versions of things. I was amazed that the whole family loved it as much as I did and so I think that there's no doubt that you'll love it too. 

The fish is tender and perfectly cooked in a curry sauce lightly spiced with chilli, mustard seeds and fenugreek, lightened with lemon and ginger and deliciously coconutty, yet you also get a wonderful layer of comforting mash, with a perfectly crisped top and a spicy fried tempeh on top just to bring it to life. I served ours with peas and broad beans, because despite the lovely little cherry tomatoes and spinach cooked into the sauce, we always liked a bit of extra veg in our household. 

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

TEMPEH: 

• Groundnut or sunflower oil 
• 2 mixed colour chillies, finely sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced 
• 1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 
• 2 small handfuls of curry leaves 

CURRY SAUCE: 

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 heaped tsp turmeric 
• 1 1/2 tsp fenugreek 
• Grated thumb-sized piece of peeled ginger 
• 400ml tin of coconut milk 
• 200g fresh spinach 
• Zest & juice of 1/2 lemon 
• 4 tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped (or two handfuls of cherry tomatoes, quartered and roughly chopped)
• 500g in total of salmon, white fish (such as pollock, hake, cod) and smoked undyed fish (such as haddock)

MASH:

• 800g peeled potatoes
• Seasoning
• Dash of milk 
• Drizzle of olive oil 

Method: 

1. Boil the kettle with enough water to fill a large saucepan. Peel the potatoes and slice thinly before adding to the boiled in the saucepan, with a sprinkle of salt. Boil with the lid on for ten minutes, or until tender when tested with the tip of a knife. Drain and leave to steam dry. 
2. For the tempeh, put a tablespoon or two of groundnut oil in the smallest pan you have, on a low-medium head. Finely slice the chilli and garlic, then add to the oil with the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry for five minutes, ensuring everything stays submerged in the oil and that the garlic doesn't burn; lower the heat once the oil has actually gotten hot and is smoking. Add a few dashes of water if things look close to burning. 
3. Remove the tempeh from the heat while you finely chop the onions. Heat a large non-stick pan on a medium heat and add half of the tempeh from the small pan, with a drizzle of oil. Add the onions with the turmeric and fenugreek and let the spices toast off. Then add the ginger and cook until softened, adjusting the heat if necessary. 
4. Add the tin of coconut milk and the spinach, along with the lemon zest and juice. Leave to simmer and thicken. 
5. Meanwhile, add plenty of salt and pepper to the spuds and mash with a potato masher. Then add a drizzle of olive oil and a good glug of milk before mashing again until lovely and smooth. Set aside and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, 160 fan. 
6. Pour the thickened curry sauce into a high sided baking dish and leave to cook while you deseed and roughly chop the tomatoes. Season them and roughly scatter over the top. 
7. Cut the fish into large chunks and place on top of the tomatoes, pushing them down into the curry. 
8. Top with mashed potato, either piped on with a star nozzle or added in small spoonfuls and then smoothed out, before running a fork across the top so that it browns nicely. Pop the fish pie in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or for 30 minutes in a fan-assisted oven before grilling for a further five. 
9. Scatter the remaining tempeh on top and then leave to cool briefly before serving with peas and broad beans and a wedge of lemon.   

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Curried Fish Pie