Taia’s little fish pies

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Taia’s little fish pies
serves 2

It took me a few goes to be able to cook pastry in 15 minutes. The speed is all going to depend on the power of your overhead grill (broiler). If you’d prefer to skip the whole pastry thing, you could top the pies with toasted breadcrumbs instead. Feel free to play around with the filling for the pies. Different types of fish or seafood would all be lovely. Or if you don’t have access to a good fish shop, canned salmon wouldn’t be the end of the world.

for the pies:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1/2 cup pouring (heavy) cream
500g (1lb) white fish fillets (like flathead)
zest of 1 lemon
small bunch chives
for the salad:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 handfuls washed salad leaves

1. pastry: Preheat your overhead grill (broiler) on its highest setting. Cut frozen pastry into quaters and place two quarters on a baking tray. Return the remaining pastry to the freezer for another use.

2. Place pastry under the grill and keep an eye on it.

3. filling: Place cream in a large frying pan on a medium high heat to warm up.

4. Chop fish into chunks and add to the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook the fish for a few minutes.

5. Check in on the pastry. When it is risen and deep golden, carefully turn over and cook for another minute or so.

6. Turn the fish pieces so they cook on both sides.

7. salad: Combine lemon juice with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Season and place salad leaves on top. Take to the table.

8. When the fish is just cooked, it will flake and look opaque. Remove from the heat. Stir in the zest and chives and season.

9. Divide filling between 2 large ramekins and top each with pastry and serve immediately.

prepare ahead?

The pastry could be cooked ahead and kept in an airtight container for a day or so before. And the fish could be pre cooked and reheated over a gentle heat.

leftover potential

Will keep in the fridge for a few days but the pastry will lose its crunch.

variations for fun

seafood – skip the cauliflower and add in 2 cups of cooked short grain rice instead. It won’t need the additional water.

vegetarian – broccoli pies but steaming 1 large head of broccoli cut into large florettes. Then add to the cream mixture to heat through and serve as for the fish.

dairy-free – make a tomato based pie – combine 3 tablespoons tomato paste with 1/2 cup water and use instead of the cream.

vegan – try a tomato based sauce as per the dairy-free option and use sliced cooked eggplant from the deli instead of the fish.

saffron – add a few strands of saffron to the cream before adding the fish for a more exotic tasting pie.

seafood – if you’d like to use a mixture of seafood such as mussels, clams, prawns, or shrimp go ahead, Just remove each type from the pan as it is cooked (they’ll all take different amounts of time)

problem solving guide

pastry burning – cooking under the grill like this can be risky, as there’s a fine line between being cooked and burnt. Make it a prioroty to keep an eye on it.

pastry soggy – sounds like your grill wasn’t on a high enough heat. Allow it a little longer for the pastry to cook.

don’t have an overhead grill (broiler?) – just bake the pastry in the oven on its highest setting. It will take about 20 minutes this way.

bland – season with salt and add in a splash of lemon juice.

cream curdling – either your pan has gotten too hot, or the cream wasn’t fresh to begin with. The best thing is to wipe the fish off and start with some fresh cream.

fish dry – when fish overcooks, it dries out, The cream wil help balance the dryness but next time be more careful with the fish cooking at a gentle simmer.

serving suggestions

I like these individual pies with a little salad on the side.

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