Smoked Fish Pies with Kūmara
Introduction
I don’t know what it is about these pies – whether it is the creamy sauce, the freshness of lemon or savoury note of herbs, or the rich, earthy sweetness of kūmara, but they are sooooo good.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Topping
1.5 kg (3 lb 3 oz) golden kūmara
Salt
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp panko crumbs, crushed with a rolling pin
Béchamel sauce
300ml (a good 10 fl oz) milk
Slice of onion, bay leaf, few peppercorns, parsley stalk
1½ Tbsp butter
2 level Tbsp standard flour
¼ tsp salt
Filling
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 Tbsp butter
100g (3-4 oz) thickly sliced, smoky bacon, roughly chopped
350g (12 oz) skinned and boned smoked kingfish, white warehou or gem fish
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp snipped chives
½ cup cooked, frozen baby peas
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved and patted dry with paper towels
Method
1 Peel the kūmara, cut it into large chunks, and cook in gently boiling salted water until tender. Drain and mash using a hand masher, adding salt and pepper to taste along with a generous tablespoon of butter.
2 Prepare a Béchamel sauce. Place milk in a saucepan with a slice of onion, a bay leaf, peppercorns, and parsley stalk. Heat gently for several minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture into a jug and rinse out the pan. Add butter and melt it gently. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour. Pour in the milk and whisk over gentle heat until it bubbles. Season with salt and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring.
3 Place the chopped onion in a medium-sized frying pan (skillet) with the butter and cook gently until tender. Increase the heat, add the bacon, and continue cooking until golden. Allow to cool, then tilt the pan to drain off the fat.
4 Combine flaked fish, béchamel sauce, lemon zest, parsley, chives, peas, bacon, and onion. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then layer into four small casseroles or large ramekins.
5 Melt the butter. Spoon the kūmara purée onto the pies and scatter a few tomatoes over the top, cut side up. Sprinkle with crumbs and drizzle with butter. Cook the pies in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
