This was a deliciously light and tasty fish pie, just like Nanna used to make.  Complete with boiled egg, an abundance of fragrant herbs and a crunchy potato topping it was on the table in under an hour.  I love the sweetness of fennel when it is lightly fried and it paired so well with succulent fish pieces, swimming in a creamy, herby sauce.  I used Barramundi for this, however you could use any firm white fish fillets such as Blue Eye or Ling.  I used a mandolin to get the potato nice and thin but if you don’t have one you could use the fine slice attachment on your food processor.   If you fancy something a little more indulgent…….mash would be equally yummy.  I also used individual pie dishes, if you don’t have them any  large pie dish is fine.

Prep time:  20 Minutes                 Cooking time:  35 Minutes                $$  Medium Budget

Serves 4

40gm of butter

2 tbs of olive oil

600gm of Barramundi fillets, skinned and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 fennel bulb, finely diced (remove the hard core before dicing)

1 brown onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

zest and juice of 1 lemon

4 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1 tbs of plain flour

1/2 cup of dry white wine

11/2 cups of fish or chicken stock

100ml of cream

1 tbs of chopped fresh chives

1 tbs of chopped fresh parsley

Sea salt and cracked pepper

2 large potatoes, finely sliced with a mandolin

Melted butter for brushing

Baby watercress or chopped parsley for garnish

Pre heat the oven to 200°C

Place the sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from oxidising and going brown.

Heat a large, heavy based pan and melt the butter with the olive oil.  Once bubbling add the onion and fry until translucent.  Add the fennel and fry for 5 minutes until soft and then add the garlic and lemon rind.  Fry for 1-2 minutes and then sprinkle over the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour is coated in the butter and oil.  Pour in the wine and stock, season with salt and pepper and stir with a wooden spoon until any lumps have disappeared and the sauce starts to thicken.  Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for approximately 7 minutes or until the flour has cooked out and the sauce is nice and thick and creamy.

Add the cream and lemon juice to the sauce and stir to combine.  Once simmering again pop the fish in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes before gently stirring through the boiled egg and herbs.  Turn off the heat.  It won’t matter if the fish is not cooked all of the way through as it will finish off in the oven.

Spoon the mixture into four pie small pie dishes or one large dish.  Drain the potatoes and cover with boiling water (from the kettle).  Allow to stand for a minute or two and then drain.  You can cool it down by running under cold water so that it is cool enough to handle before draining again.  The boiling water is just so the potato is a little cooked through before going into the oven.

Arrange the potato slices over the top of the pies or pie in a fan like fashion.  Brush the top with the additional melted butter and season with a little more salt and pepper.  Place in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until golden and crispy on top.  Garnish with herbs and serve with a side salad.