Recipe: filo fish pie

Some foods just scream comfort; they’re the ones we turn to when we need the culinary equivalent of that big, warm cashmere jumper. Fish pie is one of these cosseting classics, but the time it takes to make a traditional one means it was very rarely an option in our house, until I discovered this method. Using hot-smoked fish, a yoghurt and milk mix instead of white sauce and store-bought filo pastry rather than the traditional mashed potato results in something different but still essentially the same.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup (250 ml) milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves or dill, roughly chopped
½ cup (130 g) Greek-style yoghurt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
20 large raw prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
1 whole hot-smoked rainbow trout or 2 x 150 g (5½ oz) hot-smoked trout or salmon fillets, flaked
1 cup (140 g) frozen peas, thawed
1 small fennel bulb, very finely chopped
8 sheets (about 165 g) filo pastry
100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
lemon wedges, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Combine the milk, eggs, parsley or dill, yoghurt, mustard and paprika, if using, in a bowl and mix well.

3. In a separate large bowl, combine the prawns, trout or salmon, peas and fennel, then spoon into an 8 cup (2 litre) baking dish. Pour the milk mixture over the top.

4. Brush one side of each filo sheet all over with the melted butter and place them in a pile. Gently scrunch up the pastry and lay it on top of the pie filling to cover it completely. Bake for 25–30 minutes in the middle of the oven until the pastry is golden and crisp. Leave to cool slightly, then serve with the lemon wedges. A nice green salad or some of Yumi’s Burnished Broccoli (page 77 of recipe book) would go well with this, too. 

Recipes extracted from Real World Dinner Solutions for The Exhausted by Yumi Stynes and Simon Davis, published by Murdoch Books, RRP: $45.