Flavour salmon, cod and smoked haddock with fennel, anise and vermouth, and top with crispy nutmeg mash
Ingredients
For the potato crust
- 1kg Maris Piper potato, cut into chunks
- good grind of nutmeg
- 175ml double cream
- 75g butter, plus a little extra for the top
- 2 egg yolks
For the sauce
- knob of butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- ½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 star anise
- 300ml vermouth
- 300ml fish stock, fresh if possible
- 300ml double cream
For the filling
- 200g skinless smoked haddock fillet, pin-boned and cut into 3cm pieces
- 200g skinless cod fillet, pin-boned and cut into 3cm pieces
- 200g skinless salmon fillet, pin-boned and cut into 3cm pieces
- 140g frozen pea
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
- small bunch parsley, chopped
- small bunch dill, chopped
- juice ½ lemon
Method
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Boil the potatoes for 10-15 mins until tender. Drain and mash with the nutmeg, cream, butter and some seasoning. Leave to cool slightly, then stir in the egg yolks and chill until ready to use.
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While the potatoes cook, make the sauce. Heat the butter in a large pan. Add the shallots, fennel seeds and star anise, and cook until the shallots are soft, about 5 mins. Add the vermouth, bubble and reduce until there is a syrupy glaze left – this will take 10-15 mins. Add the stock and continue bubbling until the liquid has reduced by half. Add cream and return to the boil for 2 mins, then strain and return to the pan.
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Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Add the fish pieces to the cream sauce and poach for 2 mins until just cooked. Fold through the peas, hard-boiled egg and herbs, season and add a little lemon juice. Portion the fish sauce into individual dishes or 1 large dish. Top with the mashed potato: either pipe on with a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle or simply spoon on top and rough up with a fork. Dot the top with a little extra butter, then bake for 15 mins for small dishes or 30 mins for a large one, until golden and bubbling.