We had a great holiday, visiting with friends, eating good food, seeing new places, but it’s good to be home! It’s the little things… waking to the familiarity of home, paying the milkman, cooking dinner together. This evening we concocted a fish pie that was just plain right. Comfort food, though neither of us can lay claim to a fishwife history.

To make:

Cut up whatever fish sounds appealing; we used lobster, plaice fillets, and large shrimp from our freezer — enough to line the bottom of a baking dish. We added a few cooked peas for colour and texture. Feel free to add a few sauteed onions and whatever cooked vegetables you might have on hand. We added a bit of cheddar cheese for extra flavour and extravagance.
Make a white sauce with approximately 3 T butter, 3 T flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp dry mustard. Melt butter over medium heat and whisk in flour and seasoning. Slowly add 1 pint milk and stir until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Pour over fish and vegetable mixture, and stir gently.

Make a generous bowl of mashed potatoes, either by boiling a few flour-y potatoes and mashing with milk, salt, and butter, or by whipping up your favourite instant mash. Spread on top of fish and sauce, then top with a bit of grated cheddar cheese. Bake until bubbly and golden.

Serve with green vegetables and a nice bottle of white wine.

Fish Pie comes from humble origins. We enjoy it today as a luxury, especially
when we use lobster and disregard the calories, but originally it was a way for coastal households to stretch whatever bits of fish came their way.