Sunday, February 27, 2022

Rigoletto and Fish Pie, a Sunday Recipe from Celia Wakefield

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Just in time for Lent, our local chef de cuisine Celia Wakefield has you set with a warm, delicious and comforting fish pie, which, yes, seemed VERY British to me as well. Please don't let the length of the recipe scare you off - I saw Celia make this after a two hour round trip to the theatre and a performance of Rigoletto, which isn't a short opera. It was NOT difficult, and has the benefit of being a dish you can throw together the day after cooking the seafood. I had two helpings and would have taken the left-overs back home with me if Celia had given the slightest hint. Oh, well, I suppose Victor and she did have to have something for lunch the next day. 

(Note on the videos - I'm sorry there are so many! I usually edit them to make two or three compilations, but my video editor would NOT cooperate.)



Good morning to all the Reds, and a Big Thank You Julia for letting me loose on the blog yet again. So where are we? My Facebook page told me several time that today is a palindrome. While that has nothing to do with the fact that February has 28 days I’m willing to explore these wormholes. I know the 28 days has to do with squaring our year to fit within the lunar cycle, and why February? I am inquisitive enough to actually go and check up. Here is the answer from Britannica -the Romans considered February an unlucky month as this was the month they honored their dead so lets make it the short one.

 

 Well that’s enough of the Romans, though I do find it interesting that we are still doing things mandated by them. Just to complete the cycle of facts, I first came across a or several palindromes in one of Margary Allingham’s books -“More Work for the Undertaker” is the book I think. I was probably in my teens when I read it. I remember the story involved an eccentric, well educated and well bred middle aged family of siblings with a murder in their midst. Call for Albert Campion (non de plume).



Enough of dawdling down paths of mystery, my task today is to offer another of my recipes. Julia chose this as we had it for dinner after the three of us had been to see Rigoletto in a Met Opera HD performance. It is lovely to find a friend who enjoys Opera as it’s so much fun to be able to share views after. Another side note. If you are an Opera buff and haven’t seen this production, please try to catch it. The singing and acting is sublime. Both Rigoletto and Gilda have performed this together many times and it shows. 

 

We had a grand afternoon and because HD shows begin at 1pm, I had made and brought smoked salmon sandwiches to tide us over till dinner. It was a rather fishy day.

 

Arriving home we got to work on dinner, my fish pie, after the necessary restorative cuppa. With full disclosure as they say in the media, I have never been very fond of fish. Having thrown out a challenge to the ocean I must admit that I love shell fish, and totally love sushi and sashimi. In fact I really only like tuna raw. I am also partial to some smoked fish and was very disappointed when Legal SeaFoods took their blue fish pate off their menu. But serve me blue fish, Herring or mackerel, nothing oily, too fishy, thank you. I had unpleasant eating experiences with fish at boarding school. Being a convent it was fish on Fridays and usually boiled to flannel texture with bones still in and no sauce. 

 

But that will not be the case with my fish pie, there will be sauce and that is what caught Julia’s attention. Why fish pie? Well for some long lost reason fish pie is what I crave if I’m not feeling well. Baked golden brown fish pie with an embellished white sauce thick with cheese and hard boiled eggs into which one mixes cod, pollock, cusk whatever white fish available. As I can get good fresh pollock that was the choice along with Bang Island mussels


This is a no recipe, beloved of Sam Shifton, NYT Food Editor, who usually writes about no recipe meals on Wednesdays, then proceeds to tantalise me with many no recipe ideas which I can’t read as I won’t pay the price so to do. But I will put in my quantities as I can best guess them, which probably is good for 4-6 people. There was plenty left to serve again after the three of us had dinner, and it held up well over six days refrigeration.

 

Sea food ingredients:

1# bag of mussels

1# pollock

 

For cooking the mussels:

1/2 onion, chopped

Fresh dill

1 tsp fennel seeds,

1 tsp peppercorns

1/2 c white wine or vermouth 


Wash mussels, throw out any that have broken shells. 

Use a large frying pan with a lid to cook the mussels  

Add half a chopped onion, some dill fresh preferably, tsp of fennel seeds, tsp peppercorns, 1/2 cup white wine or vermouth, 1/2 cup water and the mussels to the pan and cover.

 

Heat till the liquid boils and the mussels start to open, 

Cook a couple more minutes, then drain liquid and mussels through a sieve.

       

Put the mussels to one side discarding any that didn’t open, to cool down

Carefully pour the cooking liquid into a microwave safe dish with lid and add the fish. Do not use all the liquid as there will be some sand etc from the mussels at the bottom.

 

The cooking liquid can be used with milk in the sauce if wished


Sauce and topping ingredients:

 

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Cheddar or another grating cheese to make a cup plus grated (Parmesan would only be my choice for topping)

Potatoes, enough to make 3-4 cups of mashed potato

Milk, butter, oil, salt and pepper

Dill to season if liked

Toasted bread or Panko crumbs for topping


Egg and Cheese Sauce:


Hard boil the eggs in advance and peel them

Grate enough cheese to fill a cup measure, I choose cheddar*


Step 1, seasoning the milk


Add to a pint of milk

  1.     bay leaf

  2.     10 peppercorns

  3.     nutmeg pieces or half a tsp grated nutmeg

  4.     small piece of onion or shallot

  5.     couple sprigs of parsley


Put the milk and first five ingredients in a small saucepan, 

Heat almost to a boil, 

Turn the heat down all the way and allow to simmer gently for ten minutes or so

Strain the milk to remove seasonings into a jug for pouring onto the roux.

 


Step 2, making the roux

 

2 Tblsp unsalted butter - if you use salted just taste sauce before adding more seasoning

2Tblsp flour - if GF use enough potato starch to make a roux

Salt and pepper, dill, nutmeg


Melt the butter and add the flour in two or three turns

Stir to incorporate butter and flour and cook for a few minutes over medium heat to ‘cook out’ the raw flour taste 

Take the pan off the heat and whisk about a quarter of the milk into the roux, mixing well to break up any small lumps

Return pan to medium heat and continue to add the milk a little at a time, whisking briskly and watching the mixture thicken. You may not need all the milk

 

As the sauce thickens add the cheese which will help the sauce thickening process then season to taste

Mix in the well chopped eggs, chopped dill, or parsley, grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste

 

Baking the Fish Pie:


Pour the sauce into the casserole,

Mix in the cooked fish, and shellfish if used, which should be broken into bite sized pieces

Cover the top with mashed potatoes and add a sprinkle of grated cheese and breadcrumbs if you wish.

Use an oven proof casserole and bake at 350F for about a half hour or until the top is golden brown. 


 

 

 

 

NOTES:

This is truly a ‘seat of pants’ recipe and I encourage you to make it as you will. Looking back there do seem to be many directions but I would rather over compensate than leave a step out.

 

The sauce is based on a béchamel sauce that I learned to make many years ago. However it is fine to make a roux and mix in the milk without going through the seasoning process first. But done this way if you have time does add an element to the dish. As you can see the sauce is what makes the dish special. Perhaps I should just make the sauce and get a spoon!

 

I often make this with white fish which I cover with milk in a microwave safe dish and nuke for a couple of minutes, then let sit. That cooks the fish and I use the milk to make the sauce. 

 

Final Word: An immersion blender can solve almost all lumpy problems.



66 comments:

  1. I’ve never had fish pie, Celia, but this sounds wonderful . . . I’m definitely trying it.
    Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.

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  2. Delicious, Celia! I've made an Irish fish pie, which included some smoked salmon, but this sounds fabulous, too.

    Thanks for asking her over, Julia. Always a treat.

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    1. Do try it and let me know Edith. Oh, congratulations I think I saw you’ve got a new book out. Way to go.

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  3. CELIA: That looks delicious, thanks for sharing! I love mussels but must admit I have never made a fish pie.

    BTW, for you and RHYS, were you able to order Bovril via Amazon?
    If not, there are several online British food stores that ship worldwide, including this one:
    https://www.britsuperstore.com/usa/browse-by-section/cooking-aids/bovril.html


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    1. That’s so thoughtful Grace. Yes, I did look up Bovril but right now working through my Marmite stash.

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  4. Thank you, Celia, for making Friday night meals during Lent more interesting! I love your mashed potato topping and will try your sauce on fish cooked in the microwave. Happy Shrove Tuesday!

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    1. Happy Shrove Tuesday to you Margaret. Do you make crepes or American pancakes? I had extra sauce over so I’ll make some Mac ‘n cheese.

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  5. When (notice I'm not saying "if") we all finally take our JRW cruise/castle tour/other getaway Celia, would you pretty please do at least one cooking demo for us in person? I volunteer as sous chef, and will chop and dice whatever you need. This sounds divine.

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    1. You are all hired, I can’t wait.

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    2. Me, too. Please. I am pretty good with a knife but eating is my specialty.

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    3. We're going to need a big kitchen!

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    4. Many apologies for my late appearance. I have been taxing since I signed off this am. It’s now my job and I made myself stay with it. Done other than checking and sending. So everyone is welcome in my kitchen. If you visit Maine please get in touch.

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  6. Karen that is such a wonderful thought. Thank you, I would love your help as sous chef. What fun we’d have. Thank you.

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    1. Celia, I'm with you on tuna. Canned or raw, but I really dislike the meatlike quality of fish like tuna, shark, and swordfish.

      Sharpening my knives in anticipation!

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    2. Yea Karen, but unfortunately the cost of tuna is through the roof at present.

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  7. It is always a pleasure to see you back here Celia. I love fish pie.

    Unlike you, I’m not a fan of mussels but I love fish. It is certainly due to my father who liked fishing and hunting. He brought back fresh fish from lakes and rivers and cooked it from our earliest childhood.
    Later I married a man from the Gaspé Peninsula and began to eat sea fish with him and his family. My mother-in-law was a fabulous cook with fish.This broadened my horizons.

    I think that your idea to cook fish in milk and to use the milk to add flavour to the roux is a very good one. I’ll try it because I always find my sauce a little bland.

    Thank you Celia and Julia

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    1. Oh Danielle, you’re so welcome. Infusing the milk does help I fund but I know what you mean re taste. Might be interesting to add herbs to the infusion like fresh dill or tarragon.

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  8. I was introduced to 'fish sauce' by my mother (tuna in a white sauce with hard boiled eggs), but your Fish Pie takes it to a whole new level, Celia. I can't promise to make it, as I rarely cook with fish...but your recipe takes me back to my uni days, when I would type a friend's papers for him (!) and he would make me kedgeree and zabaglione as a thank you meal.

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    1. My mother would make creamed tuna on toast when I was a child. We were the only two in the family of six who liked it, and it still conjures comfort for me.

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    2. It’s always interesting to look back on how good from our childhood affects our lives. Not sure canned tuna in a cream sauce is for me, but glad it’s a good memory for you Edith.

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    3. It was when all tuna was in oil, and she used that oil to make the cream sauce. She added frozen peas at the last minute. Delicious!

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    4. I'm with you Edith! Creamed tuna on toast - my mom sometimes made "toast cups" for a treat- was a childhood favorite and I sometimes make it even now for a quick and satisfying meal. ( A couple of meals. No one but me likes it) Ingredients right off the pantry shelf/freezer, and delish over rice, English muffin or potato, too.

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    5. Triss, I once asked Mommy for her recipe, sure that it had been passed down through the generations. She told me to look it up in Joy of Cooking!

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    6. Good grief! I had forgotten all about creamed tuna on toast. Mom used to make that too, but I have a feeling it was when the larder was bare and she needed to go to the store the next day. No grocery stores were open on Sunday back then.

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    7. I've never had that, but it sounds delicious!

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  9. CELIA,

    Welcome to Jungle Reds! I remember reading about fish pies in stories set in England. I am surprised that I did not have fish pie while visiting England. Though I recall having tuna and dill sandwiches from Boots. Though I am not a big fan of tuna fish, I loved this sandwich. It was Not soggy at all. My favorite fish is salmon fish and I remember having that when I visited Scotland.

    Happy Sunday,
    Diana

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  10. Happy Sunday back Diane though I do have a table covered in tax papers to organize. Scottish salmon is the best. I think the problem re canned tuna is what one pays for is what one gets. My treat is small cans of tuna from Italian manufacturers. All canned in olive oil with a delicious flavor.

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    1. Apologies Diana, blaming auto inferno

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    2. CELIA, thank you. At home in the USA, I noticed the best canned tuna (for me) was the solid water with low sodium. I am still a picky eater even as an adult. The tuna and dill salad sandwich from Boots in England was really good! I was surprised!

      Diana

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  11. Pie looks lovely! Happy Sunday to you, Celia!

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  12. One of the best things I ever had was a fish pie, served in a pub in Nantwich, famously known as once being the home of Deborah Crombie. It was she who sent me there, in fact.

    I will try your version later this week, Celia. I like the seasonings you used. And I have a bag of frozen shrimp! Do you ever put smoked fish in the pie? I like a bit of smoked salmon or herring. It adds something I think.

    Thank you for reminding me of this dish!

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    1. Sounds delicious Ann, unfortunately smoked fish doesn’t stay long around here. Smoked trout goes into pate and smoked salmon, well I’d rather eat it with toast on in a sandwich. I use smoked haddock when I can get it in kederee.

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    2. Wakefield or something like that, Debs.

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  13. In complete honesty, I cringed when I saw fish PIE was the recipe for this installment of "Celia and Julia - Cooking in Maine". I immediately thought the pie would have a top and bottom crust but no, it has a mashed potato topping. :-) Will the cooking class, during the cruise, include a book of all your recipes?

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    1. Deana, oh thank you. I think we could run off some copies. What I need is a talented artist to do graphics etc.

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  14. How I love the Sundays, Celia, when you are here to show us some very good food! Just yesterday, fish pie appeared in an Irish novel i was reading and I wondered about that. It must be delicious! Is this the sort of dish that is even better the next day?

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    1. Judi, that is such a lovely compliment, thank you so much. We’ll they say there are no coincidences. Yes I would make it the day before but might not put the potato and fish mixture together until I was ready to bake it. Poor Julia, she was correct, there were enough leftovers for a second go round a couple of days later!

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  15. Oh gosh. Happy Sunday. Your recipes are always fun. I am afraid I would be one to make the sauce and get a spoon! Mussels, oysters....not my favourite texture. And my husband, not at all a picky eater, turns a cold shoulder to anything that could be called "whitefish."

    The opera, though sounds delicious.

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    1. I do understand CD, but I’ll say Happy Monday as all I can say for Sunday is ‘good night’.

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  16. I love. Fish pie but make mine with frozen mussel meat, baby shrimp and any white fish I have in the freezer. Also I add some sherry to the sauce!
    Preferably I buy it in a good British pub!

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    1. Mmm, sherry would be a great addition!

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    2. We’ll the best thing about fish pie is that whatever one has at hand will work with a decent sauce. I agree, Sherry or I might even use Marsala. Oh I would love to be in the pub with you.

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  17. Um, I’ll skip all the fishy stuff and just make a Shepard’s Pie instead, thanks.

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    1. I think someone did Shepherds Pie Rick if you search the blog. We eat a lot of it made with lamb.

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  18. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Opera and good food! I can't eat smoked fish or other seafood. I think the smoking does something to the oils in the fish which in turn do something absolutely revolting to my insides. The fish pie sounds marvelous. And Victor is your new cinematographer? Good work, Victor!

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    1. We did Pat, just being out was so great. I am a sufferer in spirit. I’ll tell Victor, thanks.

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  19. Celia, your cooking posts are so much fun! I adore mussels so would be tempted just to eat them before they went in the pie. I've made Jamie Oliver's fish pie recipe and I remember that it was good but not exactly what was in it. Some kind of smoked fish along with the white fish, I think.

    But I'm with Rhys, however--I'd really like to have this in a good British pub!

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    1. Debs, oh to be in the pub, though I’m really not sure I want to be in England right now, my family doesn’t sound too happy about conditions. I had mussels left over from Bang Island but they were big and a little stringy around the rims. So I turned them into soup with coconut milk and it was delicious. So subtle.

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  20. Thanks--that's a wonderful-sounding fish pie, and I'll try it. My mother used to make a canned-salmon pie with a rolled out crust that was delicious. I never see canned salmon in the stores in Switzerland. Can it still be bought in the US?

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    1. Kim, Wild Planet makes really good canned salmon here.

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    2. Hi Kim, very late answering, my apologies. Debs is right about Wild Planet as a brand. So can you get Amazon in Switzerland? They probably have canned salmon. Good luck

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  21. And here I thought I was a committed omnivore. I would not even taste that fish pie (sorry).
    I do eat some sashimi and sushi and ceviche, but if it's cooked, I want broiled or fried salmon, tuna, swordfish (before it became overfished), sea bass (again, before it became overfished), cod, or Lake Michigan whitefish. Scallops and shrimp in moderation. The other stuff can stay in the sea.

    And while I will sometimes go on a hardboiled eggs bender, and ditto deviled eggs, I will not eat anything that incorporates them. Put them into a potato salad or a tuna salad and I won't eat it. It's one of the few things I'm picky about. Lifelong. so thanks but no thanks. Even the name, fish pie, puts me off.

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  22. So sorry Ellen, that the recipe was not to your taste. But you write about Lake Michigan whitefish. It would be a good substitute. I had the mussels which is why they got in. Normally my pie is made with a white fish of some sort. Like you I am not a fish lover though sashimi is my fav.

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