Salmon and Prawn Pie (adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Super Easy Fish Pie on Youtube)

Many apologies for being absent for so long. November have been a crazy busy month for the wife and myself.

The wife is a huge fan of oven baked pies. One day, while I was on my computer doing my own work, she showed me a video. It was Jamie Oliver’s Super Easy Fish Pie. As it’s name imply, its an relatively easy pie to make.

We got some fresh salmon and prawn thus we used them to substitute the fishes used in the original recipe. We also used a little more prawns because we like the texture of the prawns in the pie.

So here’s the breakdown of the recipe (pie for 2-3 person):

Ingredients

The Creamy Mash:

4 Large U.S. Potatoes

Salt and pepper to season

Smoked Paprika

4 tablespoons of salted butter

Tomato, Basil and Parsley Salad Filling:

200 g Cherry tomatoes

1 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

2 stalk of spring onions

2 paddy chilies (Seeds removed)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

A handful of Basil leaves

A small handful of English Parleys

Salt and Pepper to season

5 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pie Filling:

1 Large Salmon Fillet

15 Medium-Sized Prawns (shells removed)

1 pack of Crème fraîche

Grated mature cheddar and parmesan cheese

Preparing the Creamy Mash

To start off this pie, prepare the mash ahead of time. My dad makes amazing mash potatoes. He used to makes them occasionally for me and my brother. This mash is an adaption from his way of preparing mash. It’s very easy to follow.

First, score 1 full line around the center of the potatoes to ensure easy peeling of its skin later. Place the 4 large U.S potatoes into a large pot of boiling water (sprinkle a bit of salt into the boiling water) . Boil until the potato is soft (around 25 mins). Removed the potatoes from the boiling water after 25-30mins and place into an ice bathe. The potatoes should be easily separated from its skin by pulling back the skin on each side in the ice bath.

Place the peeled potatoes in a large bowl and mash them with a large fork and spoon or using a potato riser(is you have one). Mix in 4 tablespoon of salted butter and little bit of salt and pepper to season. Taste the mash a little and add butter and season further if required. I like to add a few sprinkle of smoked paprika into my mash, just to give it a bit of colour and the smoky-spiced aroma.

Keep in mind that this is one way I like to prepare my mash. Do feel free to use any recipe for the mash potatoes.

Preparing the Tomato, Basil and Parsley Salad Filling

Cut the cherry tomatoes into four. Season with salt and black pepper. Mex well and add in the zest juice of 1 lemon to the mix. Then, add 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Next, add 1 clove of finely chopped garlic, the paddy chilies (cut into fine strips) and 2 stalks of spring onions (chopped).  Toss and mix well. Take a large large of basil and some English parsley, rolled them up and chopped them. Add them to the salad mix and toss them again. Add another 1-2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil if needed.

Mix and and leave aside for 15-20 minutes.

Assembling the pie

Slice the prawns into large bite sizes. Remove the skin and bones from the salmon fillet if you haven’t already done that. Do not throw away the skin, I usually rub the skin with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in the the oven until crispy. Its a great way to get your oven heated up while you prepare the pie; and you get a snack at the end of it. (Who doesn’t love a nicely baked crisp salmon skin right?) Then, slice the salmon into strips and roll them up into rose-like pieces. Scatter the prawns, the rose-like salmon pieces and the remaining salmon bit around the casserole.

Use a hand-held strainer and separate the basil and parley salad from its dressing. Keep the salad dressing/juices to season your side salad later. Pour the tomato, basil, parsley mix on the prawns and salmon and spread them around to ensure the salad filling covers the prawns and salmon evenly.

Next, pour and spread around 1 pack of Crème fraîche. Grate some cheese Crème fraîche. In this recipe, we used mature Cheddar and Parmesan because these are the 2 cheeses we have in our fridge. You can use any cheese you prepare really. As Jamie Oliver mentioned in the video, the cheese is not there to make it creamy, but rather its there to season the pie and to bring out the flavours of the pie.

Lastly, spread the mash potatoes on the top and shape them evenly with a fork. Pop the casserole into our preheated oven for about 20 minute or until the top of the pie is crisped and golden brown.

The pie is best served hot with a side salad. Remember the salad dressing we separated earlier? Rinse and clean some baby spinach and wild rocket leaves and toss them with the salad dressing. You now have a nice and tangy salad to be served together with the pie.

There you have it guys. Salmon and Prawn pie, adapted from Jamie’s Super Easy Fish Pie. As mentioned, it is very easy to make, just a little more prepping to do before hand. Try it and let me know what you think. Take care guys.