# Marco Pierre White's Fish Pie



## hubuk (Oct 8, 2001)

This recipe for Marco Pierre White's Fish Pie from H e l l's Kitchen is not his actual recipe but I was so impressed with the simplicity of how he made it that I decided to create my own.

Watching Marco Pierre White conduct his master classes on H e l l's Kitchen one thing was very obvious . . . keep it simple, let the food speak for itself. I have therefore made this recipe very simple and one that even the most inexperienced can make successfully. The taste is just fantastic and will impress friends or family.

The great thing about creating dishes like this is that you don't have to stick to exact quantities or exact ingredients. You can apply your own twist . . . or in this case use fish that you like and is available to you.

. . . and remember "fingers are for burning!"

*Ingredients for Marco Pierre White's Fish Pie*

* For sauce:*
750 ml dry white wine
600 ml water
500 ml double cream
2 x Knorr Fish stock cubes
1 x Knorr Chicken stock cube

*For pie:*
1 salmon fillet
1 cod fillet
1 smoked haddock fillet
4 scallops
1 small leek
Chopped parsley
Mashed potato

*How to make Marco Pierre White's Fish Pie*

*To make the sauce:*

Put wine, water and stock cubes in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once it comes to the boil and the stock cubes have dissolved continue to boil in order to reduce your stock until there is only about a centimetre left in the pan.
Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pan and then add the cream. Put back on the heat and simmer gently until cream and stock are well blended . Taste to test. (If sauce is too thick simmer to reduce further).
*To make mashed potato:*

Make sufficient mashed potato to cover two gratin dishes. Remember you will be putting your potato in a piping bag so it needs to be very smooth and fairly wet.
Make sure your potato are seasoned and then blend with either cream or milk until silky smooth, making sure there are no lumps.
_Make a little more than you will need. Better to have too much than too little._

*To make the pie:*

You will need two gratin dishes (approximately 23 cm long) and deep enough for your fish and the mash on top.
Remove any skin from you fish fillets and the cut into cubes. Cut scallops in half.
Finely chop parsley.
Very thinly slice the white of the leek so that when you break it into rings you have enough to loosely cover the gratin dish. You only want a mild hint of leek.
Use two small saucepans and put half the sauce in each. Gently warm the sauce and when simmering add the fish. Simmer for two to three minutes. Remove from heat.
With a slotted spoon put the fish in your gratin dish. Add five to six tablespoons of sauce to cover the fish but not so they are swimming in it.
Arrange leek rings over the top and then scatter parsley over the top, again in moderation.
Then using a piping bag cover with swirls of mashed potato (if you wish you could add some grated gruyere on top of the mash).
Place in the top half of preheated oven on Gas Mark 7 / 220°C for twenty minutes. Remove and serve.
*Serves 2*


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Like the recipe, I'l let you know...
Too busy to catch hells kitchen, Thought i could see it on catch up tv. Just found out it doesnt cover itv AArggh!


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## hubuk (Oct 8, 2001)

I made a point of watching it as I wanted to see what Marco Pierre White would be like . . . I had just finished reading his autobiography. A good read if that sort of thing interests you.

I have also been watching the Raymond Blanc series The Restaurant on a Wednesday and Thursday night (makes you cringe) which has meant two solid hours of cooking which is perhaps a bit much!


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

I haven't bothered to watch either of those two programmes as I was on holiday when the series first started and couldn't be bothered catching up - even though Raymond Blanc is one of my favourite chefs..!

Did either of you catch the programme 'The Wild Gourmets' with Thomasina Mieir last night? I thought she thoroughly deserved to win Masterchef (2 or 3 years ago, I think)... but that new programme was a total waste of time.... Boring and the food was the smallest part of the programme.


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## hubuk (Oct 8, 2001)

As I was recovering from an overdose of cooking programmes I decided to give it a miss. It seems to me that there are far too many second rate cooking programmes being created at the moment. I am glad I decided to miss this one.

Think of a gimmick then make a programme around it seems to be the general idea at the moment

I saw the first episode of Nigella's new series . . . half way through I couldn't watch anymore. It seemed so false and contrived.

Watch out! There are a large number of cooking programmes in the pipeline for this winter! :chef:


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

A wise decision.

I like Jamie's programme - although some of the antique crockery he is using sets my teeth on edge - the cracks in the bowls for instance...!

I went to 15Cornwall at Watergate Bay a couple of weeks ago. Nothing to write home about... maybe they were just having a bad day!


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

For goodness sake, we don't need another scary lady in the tv kitchen. Barefoot contessa had better watch out, or she'll be losing her "most likely to appear in a kiddie horror movie" title to Nigella.
Warm and sexy has given way to fake, contrived and I could totally imagine her in a horror enticing sweet kids to "Help me in the kitchen" Cue stretched syruppy smile
Glad it's not just me HubUK


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

'Barefoot contessa'? Is that another cable TV series? I don't really watch much TV.


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## hubuk (Oct 8, 2001)

Glad it's not just me either. I had never watched Nigella before so had deliberately sat down to see what I had been missing. I am still wondering what I had been missing! I don't go for sexy in the kitchen . . . not that I found her sexy!

I don't suppose she would find me sexy either but then again I am not paid to flaunt my stuff (false smiles and all) on the TV. I am amazed she has become a celebrity TV cook. Takes all sorts I suppose.

At least my bandwagon is my own and you don't have to see me!


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Yes Ishbel. She's called Ina Garten i think and shes spooky. Smiles and fakes laughs right through the programme. Very disconcerting. If you ever watch it on cable you'll see just what i mean about the scary, kiddie killer persona.
Don't get much chance to watch tv either, but when lunches are tidied away I stick a spud in the micro, Throw some salad together, and by 3.30 it's just me and the Barefoot contessa. Odd that i still watch it for all it's cringeworthyness
Shame about 15 Thought it was a gourmet experience thing. Didnt know they had another restuarant in Cornwall. Maybe the standards have simply dropped now the cameras arnt around any more. MIAoW


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

I like your site David. Seems to cover every aspect of the food industry, from mundane to celeb.
Read your piece on web sites and it rang true. My brother set up mine 2 years ago, and whereas it was fine then, it bears hardly any resemblance to what we're doing now. The company has evolved, but i cant get my too busy brother to make the changes and i dont have access to it.. I have had compliments in the past, but they dried up months ago. Dont get may jobs from it now either. 
Maybe I could email you to see if theres anything you could do.( Dont worry, not looking for a Chef talk discount) What do you think.?
Cheers Fix


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

I've been to his 15 in London a couple of times - and had good food, service etc. Maybe the Cornish place was having an off night, I'm not sure. The brigade looked really flustered, but it was a hot night!

WOW that wumman sounds SCARY! I'll pass! By the time I get home from work and cook dinner and unwind, I've just about got time for the news and that's IT...!


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