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    Friday, October 11, 2013

    Super Smoked Kahawai Fish Pie


    The Family have been fishing
    They caught some Kahawai
    This local fish, is a slightly oily fish
    It needs to be bled as soon as caught.
    Makes great fish cakes, not exactly a fish to pan fry

    Chris home smoked it
    He really nailed it
    It was so moist and full of flavour
    (Not too smoky. I not an over-smoked type of person
    Must be all those years smoking cigarettes. Got enough smoke then, to last a lifetime!!!)
    Anyway, I digressed, sorry.
    What to do with Smoked Kahawai, 
    of course Smoked Fish Pie
    A Super Fish Smoked Pie

    I have taken all the ideas for Fish Pies, that I have made over the years

    I think I really got it with this one.
    Sweet, lightly sautéed leeks, grated carrot and not a bit of cheese in sight
    Lovely citrus, from fresh lemons
    My secret ingredient this time, was some leftover Hollandaise sauce.
    Genius!

    We had a trip to the country in the weekend and came home with lots of Fresh, fresh, fresh vegetables, including Asparagus.
    Plus gnarly juicy lemons off Debbie’s tree
    Don’t you love spring?
    My friend John McCready, put a post on Facebook of his Asparagus and Poached Egg dish.
    Gave me inspiration
    Looked very good but need a little something else.
    Hollandaise is an excellent added extra.
    First find a So Simple recipe
    Found this on the net for an easy peasy Hollandaise Sauce
    From a blog site by Elise Bauer  click here to connect to Elise 
     
        3 egg yolks (see how to separate eggs)
        1 tablespoon lemon juice
        1/2 teaspoon salt
        1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
        10 tablespoons unsalted butter

    Method

    1 Melt the butter slowly in a small pot.
    Try not to let it boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away.

    2 Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne (if using) into your blender.
    Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, 
    about 20-30 seconds.
    The friction generated by the blender blades, will heat the yolks a bit.
    The blending action will also introduce a little air into them,
    making your hollandaise a bit lighter.

    3 Once the yolks have lightened in color, 
    turn the blender down to its lowest setting
    (if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work),
    and drizzle in the melted butter slowly, while the blender is going.
    Continue to buzz for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated.

    4 Turn off the blender and taste the sauce.
    It should be buttery, lemony and just lightly salty.
    If it is not salty or lemony enough,
    you can add a little extra lemon juice or salt to taste.
    If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water.
    Pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time.

    Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to the stovetop.
    Use within an hour or so.
    I placed the Hollandaise into a little insulated container
    to keep it warm 

    The Leftover sauce went into the fridge, in the container and frankly was fine the next day
    Hence the addition to my Super Fish Pie
    In fact such a great addition to my Fish Pie, I would make it especially for a special occasion. 

    So on with the Asparagus Dish
    The whole thing was delicious
    Just cook some Asparagus
    and Poach an Egg
    I added some cooked Prawns as it was dinner 
    Smothered it with Hollandaise sauce 
    Just break the yolk
    Divine

    Sorry it has taken me ages to get to the main recipe, but here ya go.
    Finally
     
    Super Smoked Fish Pie 
    To feed 4 people

    200 gms Smoked fish of your choice flaked , check for bones

    Slosh olive oil
    1 leek washed and sliced
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 
    Little water

    4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    1 carrot grated
    4 tablespoons plain flour
    2 cups full fat milk, warmed
    Sea salt and freshly ground black freshly ground black pepper
    Zest of I lemon
    2 tablespoons lemon juice

    4 large potatoes peeled and chopped
    1/4 cup hot milk
    3 teaspoons cold butter
    White pepper

    Potato Topping
    Cook potatoes in boiling salted water, till fork tender
    Mash, or put through a ricer for really smooth potatoes
    Add hot milk
    Beat well and beat in the cold butter
    Season with a little ground white pepper
    Set aside


    Leek layer
    In a medium size sauté pan, gently heat the olive oil
    Add sliced leeks
    Season with S & P and toss well
    Cook for about 2 minutes
    Add about 2 tablespoon water
    Cover and cook about 4 minutes, till just soft but still nice and green
    Remove from pan and set aside

    Sauce
    In a pot add butter
    Melt
    Add grated carrot
    Sauté till soft
    Season with S & P
    Add flour and stir and cook for 3-4 minutes
    Add milk and stir well till thickens
    Let gently bubble, approx 4 minutes
    Continue to stir so that it doesn’t stick
    Add juice and zest of lemon

    Add Hollandaise Sauce
    Taste and adjust seasoning if it needs it
    Stir well, add flaked fish and
    Set aside
    Time to assemble

    In a gratin dish
    Line with a small layer of the sauce
    Cover with the leeks

    Cover them with the fish sauce

    Plonk the potatoes on top and fork it to make a raised pattern


    Into 180C over and cook for 30 minutes
    It should be golden and bubbling

    So delicious, this is a Dinner Party Dish

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