Very often, when I’m deciding what to make for our supper, an idea is derived from the taste of a memory. I don’t know if you’re familiar with smoked Haddock fish. I recall a meal my mother made that was called ‘Finnan Haddie’. It was a perfect cold weather meal. Basically, smoked haddock cooked in milk and served with potatoes and peas.
Finnan Haddie is cured with the smoke of green wood, turf or peat. The name comes from the Scottish town of Findon and the slang word for haddock. In the 1800’s, Findon fishwives hung lightly salted haddock in their chimney’s to be smoked gently over peat fires.
Finnan Haddie has a distinct and unique flavor and can be made into many dishes. It can be combined with other seafood where the smoky flavor carries through and influences all the elements such as in a seafood pie.
This brings me back to supper, which is going to be a seafood pie that I’m going to top with mashed potatoes. I guess in essence could be called Seafood Shepherd’s Pie.
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- 570 grams (1 1/4 lbs) potatoes, peeled & cut in pieces
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup half & half cream
- salt to taste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter or margarine, divided
- 2 Tbsp shallots, diced
- 1/4 cup celery, diced
- 120 grams mushrooms, sliced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
- 3/4 cup half & half cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth OR dry white wine
- 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 230 grams cod OR finnan haddie
- 100 grams bay scallops
- 125 grams WILD jumbo shrimp, peeled & rinsed
- water chestnuts, sliced, & drained (optional)
- 1/4 tsp smoked or regular paprika
- 1 Tbsp flat-leaved parsley, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Ingredients
Mashed Potato Topping
Seafood Filling
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- Bring potatoes to a boil & cook until fork tender. Drain; return to pot & add salt (to taste), margarine & cream. Mash & set aside. Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a saute pan, melt 1 Tbsp of margarine; add shallots, celery, mushrooms, thyme & a pinch of salt. Saute, stirring often until soft & fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Turn off heat & set aside.
- In another saucepan, add cream, chicken broth, flour, salt, mustard & cayenne pepper. Whisk together to incorporate all ingredients. Bring to a boil, whisking often then turn down heat & continue cooking until thick, whisking for about 8 minutes. Turn off heat & add remaining 1/2 Tbsp margarine along with the vegetable mixture. Blend well, taste & adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
- Spray or butter a casserole dish. Place cod (or finnan haddie), scallops, shrimp & drained, sliced water chestnuts on the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Sprinkle with paprika & parsley. Add lemon juice & a pinch of salt & pepper. Pour cream sauce over seafood. Top evenly with mashed potatoes.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until bubbly & potato peaks are browned. Allow to rest 10-20 minutes before serving.
- For an extra flavor boost you could top it with some grated 'old' cheddar cheese before baking the casserole.
This was soooo good! For the seafood we used local shrimp and snapper. And also added scallops and some marinated salmon.