Recipes Fay and Wayne Good, Images Ashlee DeCaires
When I was young, this recipe was quite an ordinary, yet delicious dish. I’m talking 50 years ago, when getting a whole smoked snapper at the fish shop was like buying a packet of sausages now, readily available and cheap.
As the years have gone on, this has changed, with smoked fish becoming more of a treat. Mussels and oysters would also have been added, and there is no reason why you can’t do that now.
A great dish to feed a crowd.
100g butter
⅔ cup flour
300ml milk
200ml cream
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 onion, diced
¾ cup sour cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp capers
500g firm white fish, cubed
500g smoked fish, broken up
250g scallops, cut in half
250g green prawns, shelled
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
50g butter
In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion and parsley. Cover and cook out for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until the onion is clear. Do not allow it to brown.
Add the flour and cook for a few minutes, again not allowing the flour to brown. While this is happening, place the milk and cream into another pot and heat until just under boiling. Gradually add the milk and cream to the butter and flour, stirring all the time, until you have a nice thick, creamy roux.
Add the sour cream, Dijon mustard, capers, fish and seafood. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Pour this into a large ceramic oven dish. This makes quite a large pie and could easily be split into two dishes, one for the freezer and one for dinner!
In the frypan, melt the last 50g of butter and add the fresh breadcrumbs, tossing until all the butter is absorbed. Place on top of the seafood pie. Place into a pre-heated oven at 180°C. Cook until the pie is bubbling, and breadcrumbs are golden, about 30–40 minutes.
Serve warm new potatoes and salad, or in the season, roasted asparagus.
