Fish Pie

This is a family recipe that dates back to when my family were a part of the fishing industry in Cromer. This recipe has been passed down and remains almost unchanged.

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 200degrees / gas mark 6
   
   Peel and boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and add a dash of milk and knob of butter and mash until thick and creamy. Season if you wish.
   
   Hard boil the eggs and allow them to cool. Shell and chop to a similar size for egg sandwiches. This will need to cover your fish and sauce and hold your mash on top.
   
   Put your milk, flour and butter in a pan and bring to the boil stirring continuously, simmer until thickened. Stir in the double cream slowly. Finely chop the parsley and add to your sauce. Keep stirring! Season to taste with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
   
   Cut your fish into large cubes and place in a deep oven proof dish. Add the sweet corn and prawn. Pour over the sauce and mix well so all the fish is covered. Make sure the sauce just covers the fish, but do not drown it! Leave for around 5 minutes so the sauce thickens a little on top.
   
   Place the egg on top of the fish and sauce, so you have one even layer of egg.
   
   Spoon your mash on top and smooth down. Using a fork seal the edges against the dish and pattern the mash if you wish. Top your mash with a thin layer of breadcrumbs. Place the oven proof dish in a baking tray to catch and drips and put in the middle of the oven to cook for 30 minutes. The breadcrumbs should become a nice golden colour. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese (as much or as little as you wish!) pop under the grill until the cheese has melted and gone crispy.
   
   Can be served with sweet pea shoot salad or garlic bread, or on its own on a cold winter’s night.