Fish pie with fennel

This is a delicious version of a classic fish pie.  As well as fish, prawns, parsley and a traditional roux, fried onion, fennel and fresh chilli is added to the pie.  It gives flavour and bite, but allows the fish to showcase its flavours perfectly.  Nutmeg and cracked black pepper should be used generously.  Despite looking complicated, this isn't a hard recipe at all, and has scope for endless creativity!

~Serves 4~

Ingredients

Mixed fish chunks, 250g (reduced by 75%) - 75p

2 oz prawns - 60p

Potatoes - leftover in fridge, say 40p

Grated cheese- leftover in fridge, say £1

Onion - 20p (market)

Bulb of fennel - 50p (market)

Green chilli

Nutmeg

Flour

Milk - 50p

Pepper

Parsley -20p (market)

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• Peel potatoes and cut into equal sized chunks.  Boil.
• At the same time, put chunks of fish into saucepan, with some onion and fennel (you will later take these out, so keep them in big chunks.  They are just to add flavour). Pour in milk to cover - about a pint, and gently bring to the boil.  Add crushed peppercorns and grated nutmeg.  
• Once boiled, turn off the heat and leave the fish to poach in the pan until the potatoes are cooked and ready to mash.
• Dice the onion and bulb of fennel and fry.  Add the chopped fresh green chilli towards the end of the frying.
• Drain the milk and retain.  
• Make a roux by melting a fat tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and then add a couple of tbsp of flour, stirring constantly.  Keep adding small amounts of the fish-milk and stirring.  The sauce will thicken nicely.  Keep on a low heat and mash the potato, adding a small amount of butter, fish-milk and some chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper.  You may not use all of the fish milk in the roux and mash.  Just use your judgement as to how much you need to add.
• Add the poached fish, ready-cooked prawns, fried onion and fennel and the rest of the parsley (most of it) to the roux.  Put in some more cracked black pepper and grated nutmeg.  Stir until mixed.

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• Grease an oven proof dish with butter, then pour in the roux, containing the fish mixture.
• Then spoon over the mashed potato, spreading and flattening evenly over the fish mixture.
• Finally, generously sprinkle grated cheese over the potato topping.
• Put into the middle of a pre-heated oven, 200C for about 25 minutes.  The cheese should be golden and the roux bubbling at the sides of the dish.

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Total cost - £4.15
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