Ultimate smoked fish pies

Tamara West

Three types of smoked fish and a kumara mash topping make for gourmet comfort food. You don’t need a big serving, as smoked fish has a rich flavour, and the dish can be surprisingly filling. Serve with a big salad on the side, or plain steamed vegetables.

Kumara topping

500 g	Golden kumara, peeled and chopped (Main)
1 knob	Butter
½ cup	Milk
¼ cup	Cheese, grated, for sprinkling

Onion and cheese sauce

1 Tbsp	Oil
1	Onion, diced
2 Tbsp	Butter
2 Tbsp	Plain flour
2 cups	Milk
1 cup	Cheese, grated
1 tsp	Dijon mustard
¼ cup	Parsley, chopped

Smoked fish and silverbeet filling

3 cups	Silverbeet, chopped
200 g	Hot-smoked salmon fillets, flaked (Main)
200 g	Smoked fish, use a white fish like kahawai, flaked (Main)
6	Sardines, smoked, chopped into bite-size pieces

Directions

1. Cook kumara in boiling salted water until soft (about 12 minutes). Drain and mash with butter and milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oven to 200C.

3. To make the sauce, heat oil in a frypan on mediumheat; saute onion until soft (about 4 minutes). Add butter to onions, and when melted add flour and stir continuously with a wooden spoon for 1 minute to cook the flour. Add milk gradually, stirring continuously to avoid any lumps forming. Simmer, stirring continuously, until thickened (about 3-4 minutes). Mix in dijon mustard, cheese and parsley.

4. Wash silverbeet (leaving it a bit damp/wet will help create steam), and steam in the microwave until just wilted (about 2 minutes).

5. Fold smoked salmon, smoked fish, sardines and silverbeet into cheese sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper (you may not need much salt, as smoked fish can be quite salty).

6. Divide between 4 medium-sized ramekins. Top with mashed kumara and a sprinkle of cheese. Cook in oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.