Creamy Fish Gratin

Name: Creamy Fish Gratin
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 500 g fish pieces, I had a mix of smoked haddock, cod and salmon; 300 g creme fraiche, don't use half fat - it will separate; couple of handfuls grated mature Cheddar cheese; couple of handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs; couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese; squeeze lemon juice, salt and pepper, and you could add fresh herbs such as parsley and dill if you like

Joanne @JoanneinBath

Bath, UK

This changes the whole concept of fish pie from a hearty meal that needs an hour or two to prepare, to a light and creamy dish that takes less than half an hour. I got the idea from a Russian cookbook I worked on in which there were a couple of recipes that used smetana (similar to creme fraiche) to cover a whole fish before baking. The smetana sealed the fish in the same way as the Spanish use salt. So I used the same method to poach fish pieces topped with cheese and breadcrumbs, and it works perfectly. You don't need to precook the fish, you don't need to make a bechemal sauce and you don't need to boil and mash potatoes.

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Ingredients

30 mins

2 servings

500 gfish pieces, I had a mix of smoked haddock, cod and salmon
300 gcreme fraiche, don't use half fat - it will separate
couple of handfuls grated mature Cheddar cheese
couple of handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs
couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese
squeeze lemon juice, salt and pepper, and you could add fresh herbs such as parsley and dill if you like

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Steps

30 mins

1

Butter an ovenproof dish and place the fish pieces at the bottom. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
2

Cover the fish completely with creme fraiche, smoothing over the top to make an airtight layer, only use as much creme fraiche as you need.
3

Spread the grated Cheddar over the top in an even layer. Mix the breadcrumbs with the grated Parmesan and then add that to the top too. I didn't have quite enough breadcrumbs, you need a good layer so you have a nice crispy topping.
4

Grind over some black pepper and some paprika too if you wish and then bake for about 20 minutes. The fish will cook quickly in a metal dish, you'll need a bit longer if you're using a ceramic or china dish. Serve with chips and peas!

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Cooksnaps

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Joanne @JoanneinBath

on January 26, 2016 08:10

Bath, UK

I enjoy cooking mostly because I like eating, but also because it's a great way to relax at the end of the day. I work in book publishing and especially enjoy creating cookbooks written by cooks who love cooking and sharing food rather than creating show stopping dishes that take days to put together. As Nigel Slater would say; 'we are, after all, simply making ourselves something to eat'. I live with my lovely daughter Isobel who rarely pays any kind of compliment but will occasionally admit something I've cooked was quite nice, and our dog Piper, who will eat anything.