Fish & tarragon pie with parmesan pastry

200ml full-cream milk

500ml (2 cups) fish stock

2 fresh bay leaves

4 peppercorns

600g skinless firm white fish fillets, such as snapper or gurnard, cut into 3cm pieces 150g smoked fish, such as cod, cut into 3cm pieces

200g raw prawn meat, cut into 2cm pieces 200g scallops

200ml pure cream

80g unsalted butter

2 leeks, white and pale green parts, well washed and finely sliced

80g plain flour

3 tarragon sprigs, leaves picked large handful of parsley, finely chopped zest of 1 lemon

1 egg, for egg wash

PARMESAN PASTRY

250g (1⅔ cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting pinch of sea salt

150g cold unsalted butter, cubed

40g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated 100–125ml iced water

SERVES 6

A good fish pie is really a thing of beauty. Delicately poached seafood enveloped in a creamy white sauce with plenty of parsley. Sometimes topped with mashed potatoes and sometimes with puff pastry, it is one of the ultimate comfort foods.

Poaching the seafood first is essential for avoiding a watery fish pie, so it’s paramount that you do not skip this step. I poach mine in a mixture of milk and stock, spiked with fresh bay leaves and peppercorns. The sauce should be light and velvety, and here it’s perked up with lemon zest and a generous amount of parsley and tarragon. You can definitely buy ready-made puff pastry and it will be a perfect pie, but since it’s Sunday, I’ve made a buttery, flaky pastry with the addition of Parmigiano Reggiano, which adds a really nice savouriness and interest. My local fishmonger keeps smoked cod fillets in their freezer, but if you can’t find any, just leave it out and add in some extra fish or shellfish. Better yet, fry up some lardons of bacon with the leeks – it will add a delicious smokiness, I promise.

PARMESAN PASTRY Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat it in the flour. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have pea-sized lumps. Some larger pieces are fine, too. You want to rub the butter into flatter pieces rather than into something that resembles breadcrumbs. Toss the Parmigiano Reggiano through the mixture to evenly distribute it. Now add the iced water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix with your hands until the dough just begins to come together. You may not need all the iced water. Press the dough into a rough rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 28cm × 20cm baking dish. Meanwhile, place the milk, fish stock, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add all the seafood and poach in the liquid for 2–3 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove immediately with a slotted spoon and arrange in the base of the buttered baking dish.

Add the cream to the pan and continue to simmer for 4–5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to 750ml (3 cups). Strain the liquid, discarding the solids, and keep warm.

Warm the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the leek with a pinch of salt. Cook gently, stirring frequently, for 8–10 minutes, until softened. Increase the heat to medium–high and add the flour. Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes to cook out the flour (the roux should stay pale in colour). Swap the wooden spoon for a whisk and slowly add the reserved warm liquid, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Bring the sauce up to a simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the tarragon leaves, parsley and lemon zest and season to taste, then pour over the seafood in the baking dish. Allow to cool.

Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to make it easier to roll. Roll it out on a lightly floured work surface until it is 3–4mm thick and large enough to comfortably cover the baking dish.

Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water to make an egg wash and use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the baking dish. Drape the pastry onto the cooled pie filling and trim any excess, leaving about 2cm of overhang. Use a fork to press the pastry onto the edges of the dish and pierce the centre of the pastry with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape during cooking. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden.