This sumptuous fish pie takes a little bit of work and certainly has a lot of luxurious ingredients but we think it takes a homely, comforting classic to new levels. As if comes from the youngest chef in Britain to be awarded two Michelin stars, its sure to impress.
Fish pie
- 20 mussels, cooked
- 200g of salmon fillet, cut into 25g pieces
- 4 hand-dived scallops, cut crossways into 3 pieces
- 4 megrim sole fillets, cut in half
- 8 monkfish escalopes, thinned with a mallet and cut in half
- 5 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 2 2/3 handfuls of chives, chopped
- salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Fish sauce
- 75g of butter
- 55g of flour
- 700ml of milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 200g of onion, finely chopped
- 100ml of white wine
- 100ml of double cream
- 50g of Le Gruyère AOP, grated
- 50g of Parmesan, grated
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Mashed potato topping
- 500g of potato, peeled and diced into 2.5cm cubes
- 80g of butter
- 100ml of milk, warmed
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
- 10g of salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Parsley crumb topping
- 50g of white breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 2/3 handfuls of parsley leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 50g of Parmesan, grated
- 50g of Le Gruyère AOP
- salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
Method
To begin the fish pie, place the diced potatoes into 1 litre water with 8g salt in a pot or large saucepan. Place the pot on to the heat and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and then simmer the potatoes for 30 minutes
While the potatoes simmer, make the sauce. Place the milk and bay leaf in to a pan and bring the to the boil, then remove from heat. In another saucepan, melt 45g butter in a pan on a low heat then add the flour and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly
Pour the hot milk little by little in to the flour and butter mix, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 8 minutes at a low temperature. Remove the bay leaf
Melt the remaining 30g butter in a pan on a low heat and add the chopped onion. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes so they sweat and don’t colour. Add the wine and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by ⅔
Add the white sauce, Parmesan, Gruyère and cream to the onions and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat. Place parchment paper on top of the sauce in the pan to prevent it from forming a skin, then set aside
When the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander. Place the potatoes back in the pot and dry out on a low heat for 1 minute. Add the 80g butter while you mash the potatoes, then add 2g salt and warm milk to bring it together. Remove from the heat, then mix in the nutmeg and egg yolks
For the parsley crumb topping, place the breadcrumbs in a food processor with the lemon zest, garlic, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper to season. Blitz until just coarsely chopped–no more than 20-30 seconds. Place the crumb mixture into a bowl and add the Parmesan and Gruyère
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4 and put the mash into a piping bag with a large star nozzle
Simmer the fish pie sauce on the stove, then add the seasoned fish starting with the monkfish. Cook the monkfish in the sauce for 30 seconds, then add the megrim sole. Cook the sole for 30 seconds, then add the salmon fillets and scallop slices and cook for 30 seconds more
Once the fish have cooked, add the mussels, chopped chives and sliced spring onions to warm through for a few seconds. Place the fish and sauce in a suitable pie dish and pipe on the warm mashed potato. Sprinkle over the crumb topping and bake for 15 minutes until the crumb topping melts and is golden in colour
The Chef: Tom Aikens
Tom Aikens is one of the UK’s most acclaimed and inspirational British chefs. His remarkable career has taken him to David Cavalier’s in Battersea, Pierre Koffman’s La Tante Claire, Pied-à-Terre and Joel Robuchon in Paris to name a few. At 26, Tom became the youngest British chef ever to be awarded two Michelin stars.
The celebrated chef is dedicated to serving only the highest quality, ethically sourced ingredients and continually supports The Environmental Justice Foundation to raise awareness of illegal ‘pirate’ fishing and diminishing fish stocks.
Tom has written three books; Cooking (2006), Fish (2008), and Easy (2011), and has made several appearances on television, reaching the final banquet of 2013’s Great British Menu on BBC2 in aid of Comic Relief.
The Restaurants:
Tom’s Kitchen Canary Wharf, Canary Wharf, 11 Westferry Circus, London
E14 4HD | 020 3011 1555 | www.tomskitchen.co.uk/canary-wharf
Tom’s Kitchen St Katherine Dock, St Katherine Dock, 1 Commodity Quay, 
London, E1W 1AZ | 020 3011 5433 | www.tomskitchen.co.uk/st-katharine-docks
Tom’s Kitchen Chelsea, 27 Cale Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 3QP | 020 7349 
0202 | www.tomskitchen.co.uk/chelsea
The Member Club Offer: available in all three of the restaurants above
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