I've been thinking a lot about the blog lately, now I have finished writing about my foodie experiences in Italy.
I've been mostly thinking about what inspires me to cook.
The answer, I'm afraid, is Seafood.
Seafood has always been my passion in so many ways.
The smell of freshly barbecued fish evokes memories of Summer holidays spent by the seaside in Portugal.
The aromas of seafood and shellfish take me back to my childhood memories of Christmas and New Year Celebrations
.You see, in countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy, fish and seafood are forever present in moments of relaxation, luxury and celebrations.
Even in the UK, not so long ago, families would treat themselves to a Fish and Chips dinner-fondly known as a Fish supper-on a Friday night after a long hard week.
So to me, fish and seafood have and, will always be my ultimate passion, indulgence and comfort food.
My biggest food hero is Rick Stein and that says it all :)
My blog could have so easily been solely about seafood.
But that would not be a true reflection of me or my life.
I don't eat fresh fish or seafood on a daily basis, or sometimes even on a weekly basis. We all know seafood is not the most affordable of foods, especially in the UK.
However, when I do eat it, or rather, cook it, I treat it with respect, love and even gratitude.
So for me, this is a recipe that incorporates all that I love about Seafood and Fish
It's comforting, satisfying and amazingly delicious.
As for the blog, seafood will always play a huge part in it but I also have plans to surprise you with some new truly amazing flavours, new themes, and new recipes!
Hope you come back for more :)
TRADITIONAL LUXURY FISH PIE
Serves 4
Ingredients
A selection of Fish and seafood of your choice. I used 1 large trout fillet, 1 large Whiting fillet, a large salmon steak and 200gs of mixed seafood (prawns, scallops and squid)
2 large bay leaves
4 eggs
4 very large potatoes
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 large sliced leeks
2 large sliced cloves of garlic
1 cup of white wine
150gs of butter
150gs of flour
400mls of milk
50mls of thick cream
1 cup of freshly cut parsley
2 tbs of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees.
Slice the potatoes and boil them with the eggs in salted water.
Once the potatoes are cooked and very soft , drain and set the eggs and potatoes aside.
Mash the potatoes with 50gs of butter and season to taste. Peel the eggs and cut them into quarters.
In a separate pan, poach the fish in 400mls of milk with 2 bay leaves. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Be sure to season with salt and pepper to taste.
Set the fish aside to cool and once cooled, remove all the bones and shred into bite size pieces. Reserve the milk for the sauce and discard the bay leaves.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Place the leeks in the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until soften and then add the garlic and cook until soft.
Add the wine, reduce, and then the rest of the butter flour and cook for one minute, stirring very well, to make a roux.
Gradually add the milk you poached the fish in and keep stirring. Then the cream, stir constantly and allow it to cook for 2 minutes or until the consistency of the sauce is thick enough to coat your spoon.
Then add your seafood and freshly cut parsley.
Fold it all in gently-so as not to spoil the texture of the poached seafood.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish and top it up with your quartered boiled eggs.
and then the buttery mashed potatoes sprinkled with the Parmesan cheese.
Your final mixture should look like this:Cook in the oven for 30 mins and serve with your favourite veg.
Love the fluffiness of the mash!
The best surprise is always the egg!
So creamy and delicious.
Proper comfort food! Enjoy!
