Fish pie with capers

800g haddock fillets (skin on)
250ml full-cream milk
1 bay leaf
sea salt, black pepper
250g scallops
60g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
150ml dry cider
150g crème fraîche
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
200g shelled raw prawns
1 tbsp small salted capers, rinsed

FOR THE MASH
1.5kg maincrop potatoes, peeled and halved if large
100g crème fraîche
50g unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks

In short	Preparation time: 30 mins Cooking time: 75 mins Total time: 105 mins Serves: 6 people Course: Main

Method

1 Place the haddock fillets in a large saucepan. Pour over the milk, tuck in the bay leaf, season and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, leaving a gap for steam to escape and cook on a low heat for 4 minutes. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl and once the fish is cool enough to handle, flake it as coarsely as possible, discarding the skin. If any additional liquid is given out at this point, discard it. Pull off the white gristle at the side of the scallops, removing the surrounding girdle, then cut off and reserve the coral and slice each scallop into 2 or 3 discs.

2 To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a medium-size non-stick saucepan, add the flour and allow the roux to seethe for a minute. Very gradually work in the cider, the fish cooking liquor, then the crème fraîche and the mustard. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, and simmer over a very low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If any butter separates out simply stir vigorously until it is reincorporated. Taste to check the seasoning, then fold in the haddock, scallops, prawns and capers. Transfer the fish to a 35cm oval gratin dish or other ovenproof dish with a 2.5 litre capacity that offers a large surface area to crisp. Leave the fish to cool, which will help prevent the potato from sinking in when you spoon it on top, covering the surface with clingfilm.

3 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook until they are tender. Drain them into a sieve or colander and leave the surface moisture to evaporate for a minute or two. Pass through a mouli-légumes or a sieve back into the pan. Heat the crème fraîche with the butter and some seasoning and beat this into the mash, and then the egg yolks. Smooth this over the top of the fish, forking the surface into furrows.

4 To cook the pie, heat the oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan oven) gas mark 6 and bake it for 35-40 minutes until crusty and golden on the surface. You can cover and chill the pie until required, for up to 48 hours. In this case it may need a little longer in the oven.

Recipe by Annie Bell