This is the one. The dish people ask about most, the one that turns up on Melbourne food lists, the one that made us think maybe we were actually onto something when we first opened the doors.
We worked with Matt Wilkinson many moons ago when he was a neighbor on Nicholson Street, to create a fish pie — it fast become one of our best sellers. This is the make-at-home version, and honestly it's not hard. Chunky pieces of salmon, rock ling, smoked salmon and prawns in a rich sauce under a golden puff pastry lid. Nothing precious about it. Scoop it into shallow bowls at the table and add some peas on the side.
A word on the fish: the rule is one red fish (salmon), one white fish (rock ling), one smoked fish, and the prawns for texture. You can swap things around — scallops for prawns, mussels or clams instead — but keep that balance and you won't go wrong.
The Fishmonger's Son Fish Pie
Makes 1 family-size pie (serves 4–6)
You'll need
- 180 g salmon fillet, skin off
- 180 g rock ling fillet, skin off
- 100 g smoked salmon
- 180 g raw prawn cutlets, tails off
- 1 carrot, peeled
- 1 large potato, peeled
- 400 ml milk
- 100 ml white wine
- 100 ml dry sherry
- 100 ml fish stock (or water)
- 50 g salted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
- 1–2 tablespoons plain flour
- Handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
- Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 200°C (conventional). Grease a 1.5–2 litre round ovenproof baking dish (25 × 5 cm) with butter.
Chop the fish and prawns into 2 cm chunks — this is a good size for eating, cooking and aesthetics. Dice the carrot and potato into 2 cm chunks. Set everything aside. Combine the milk, wine, sherry and stock in a jug.
Place the butter and olive oil in a deep non-stick frying pan on the stove over medium heat. Once the butter has mostly melted, add the onion and cook for 1–2 minutes, then add the carrot and potato and cook for 3–4 minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in the flour until it dissolves, then add the liquid from the jug. Keep stirring slowly and steadily until it thickens, around 3–5 minutes.
Add the fish and prawns and cook for another 3–4 minutes, then stir in the parsley, lemon, dill and seasoning. Remove from the heat and cool for around 10 minutes.
Transfer the filling to the baking dish. Gently press the edges of the puff pastry onto the outer edge of the dish, covering the rim. Trim off any overhang. Use a sharp knife to make a cross incision in the centre of the pastry for the steam to escape.
Brush with egg wash and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crunchy.
We love to eat this scooped out into shallow bowls. Sometimes we add some peas on the side.
This recipe is from The Fishmonger's Son Cookbook, available in-store at 781 Nicholson Street, Carlton North — come and say hello.