Fish Pie - Use up your Leftovers

Our friends Mary and Heinzie were staying for the weekend to help celebrated the Beloved's Turn of the Decade Birthday.

After a good kick off start on Friday, Saturday had to be a quiet night, so that we would be in good form for the big Party on Sunday.
A couple of weeks previously our friend Skid, brought us up from Taupo... a trout, caught by his fair hands only 15 hours before. I was worried that we wouldn't want it straight away, so it went into the freezer for a later date.
Perfect time to bring it out.
Saturday night dinner.

I cooked the trout the only way I know how.
It is a very delicate fish and I think it needs some flavour boost.

Take your headless, gutted fish
Season the fish inside and out with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fill the seasoned cavity with thin slices of red onion and lemon

In a large baking dish, place some more sliced onions and lemons
Use this as a trivet and sit the fish on top.
Pour over some white
Cover with foil and into a 180C oven

Cook till a skewer slides through the fish

This should take about 20 - 30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish

This method of cooking keeps the flesh moist and delicious

Then you remove the skin and slice off the flesh
Trout is a very boney fish so be careful
So I served it with Mashed Potato and Garlic Green Beans.
Delicious

Sometimes, I make a dressing with the juices but I now have a new seafood dressing...
which I am loving.
So simple
Got the idea from the Trusty Triple Tested Recipe Book

I have made a couple of changes. Rum instead of Brandy
But use Brandy if you have it
They suggested Chili Sauce but I love Sriracha Sauce so I used that

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced Celery
1 teaspoon minced red onion or shallot
1 teaspoon Cider or White wine Vinegar
 Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
2 tablespoons Rum or Brandy
1 teaspoon parsley
Sea salt

Blend well
Put into the fridge, best to let it set for a couple hours
Perfect with trout or any seafood

So I have digressed too much
Back to the Fish Pie

Of course there was leftover Trout, also leftover Hot Smoked Salmon
Which we had had on crackers, as an appetiser
Heaps of Mashed Potato and also Green beans
Over catering again!
What to do but Fish Pie of course

So I made a Bechamel sauce
For the Roux

4 tablespoons butter 
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon mustard, I used Dijon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest (finely grated) and juice of 1 medium lemon
2 cups milk, warmed
2 bay leaves

First make your Roux
Melt butter
Add onions cook gently till soft and translucent
Add flour
Stir well and cook out the flour taste, about 3-4 minutes
Season with Salt, pepper and mustard
Add grated lemon zest
Meanwhile warm the milk with the bay leaf (to infuse the milk)
Remove the bay leaf
Add to roux
Stir briskly and then use whisk to make sure there are no lumps
Add lemon juice
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary

Meanwhile, prepare your fish
Break up the Salmon and carefully break up the trout
Look out for those pesky bones
I also defrosted a dozen prawns

Add to Bechamel Sauce
Along with the fish I added the Green beans
Covered with Leftover Mashed Potato

Baked at 180C till all bubbly and golden about 25 minutes

Voila
Fish Pie

We did manage to have a couple of shots and the compulsory Photo, with the appetiser
Wouldn't be a Heinzie visit, without that