Made in London by Leah Hyslop

Author:Leah Hyslop
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472949042
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2018-08-10T16:00:00+00:00

A very British scene: a sign for fish and chips in a traditional London pub window. (Pawel Libera/Getty Images)

A c.1900 illustration depicting a typical (and very British) queue at a fish and chip shop. (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

SHEEKEY’S FISH PIE

J Sheekey is a grande dame of the London restaurant scene. It was founded in the 1890s, when Lord Salisbury gave a trader called Josef Sheekey permission to flog shellfish from a stall in St Martin’s Court – just as long as he kept a few treats back for the aristocrat’s thespian parties. The restaurant’s ties with theatreland have remained as tight as a closed oyster. The wood-panelled walls are smothered with photographs of actors, and famous faces including Keira Knightley and Ewan McGregor have been spotted in the more secluded booths. This fish pie is Sheekey’s most iconic dish.

SERVES 4

200g boneless cod fillet (or a white chunky fish such as halibut), skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks

200g salmon fillet, skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks

200g smoked haddock fillet, skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks

½ small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For the sauce

50g butter

50g plain flour

125ml white wine

500ml fish stock

90ml double cream

1 tablespoon English mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

juice of ½ lemon

½ teaspoon anchovy extract or 1 anchovy fillet (optional)

For the topping

50g butter

50ml milk

1kg floury potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed (King Edward work well)

20g fresh white breadcrumbs

10g Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a low heat. Gently stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes. Gradually add the wine, stirring well, then slowly pour in the stock until you have a silky smooth sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for up to 10 minutes.

Add the cream and briefly bring to the boil again. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and anchovy extract or anchovy (it will slowly melt into the sauce). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gently fold the fish and parsley into the hot sauce, and pour into a large pie dish to about 3cm from the top of the dish. Leave to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C Fan/Gas Mark 5.

Make the topping by mixing the butter and milk into the mashed potato and season with salt and pepper. Spread the potato over the pie, and use a fork to make a pattern on top, if you like.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Scatter over the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden.

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