As part of our research for a book about pies, we’ve been experimenting with different types of pie crusts.
There are pie crusts made from tacos, crusts made from cauliflower bound by egg (a base in this case), crusts made from crunchy almond and courgette… a number of other unusual pies….
…..and then there is this pie where the crust is composed of breadcrumbs given a salty kick by chopped anchovies, and a lot of life by dried herbs and lemon zest.
Meanwhile the pie filling is packed with flavour thanks to the smoked oysters and the mushrooms, whose earthiness is emphasised by the chocolatey Urfa pepper flakes.
The pie will freeze, but it’s better to freeze the filling and the crust separately.
New age fish, smoked oyster and broccoli pie with a salty breadcrumb crust
Ingredients
- 300g/11 oz white fish
- 500g/1 lb 2 oz
- 300ml/1¼ cup milk
- 60ml/¼ cup/4 tbsps rosé vermouth
- A couple of bay leaves
- 85g/3 oz tin of smoked oysters
- 1 onion
- 100g/4 oz butter
- 300g/10 oz mushrooms
- Urfa pepper flakes
- A small bunch of dill
- 2 tbsps flour
- Zest and juice of a lemon
- 100g/1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsps Herbes de Provence
- About eight anchovy fillets in olive oil
- Olive oil
- Salt and peppercorns
Instructions
- Poach the fish gently in the milk, with about three peppercorns (ideally the long black Indonesian kind), a little salt and the bay leaves. When the flesh becomes opaque (about ten minutes, take it off the heat, and, using a slotted spoon, take the fish out and put it in your pie dish.
- Meanwhile peel and chop the onion, and get it frying gently in a medium saucepan with about half the butter. Prepare the mushrooms, slicing them if you need to, and, when the onion is just beginning to turn translucent, add them and the rest of the butter to the saucepan. Add a pinch of Urfa pepper flakes.
- Add the smoked oysters to the fish, and add the remaining oil to the onion and mushroom mix.
- Add the flour to the onion-mushroom mix and stir well, cook for two or three minutes.
- Fish out the peppercorns and bay leaves from the warm milk and throw them away.
- Slowly add the milk to the onion-mushroom mix, stirring all the time to eliminate lumps.
- Once all the milk is used, add the rosé vermouth and the lemon juice. Bring to the boil to thicken.
- Mix in the fish (flake it if it hasn’t already fallen apart) and mussels.
- Return to the pie dish.
- Preheat the oven to 210°C.
- Put the breadcrumbs into a medium sized bowl. Add the chopped anchovies, the lemon zest and the Herbes de Provence.
- Spread over the pie filling. Drizzle over any oil remaining from the anchovies. Bake for 25 minutes.