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Molly malone crouton pot

From The Peoples Cook Book (book slide)
Neelia Hutchins' makes an unassembled fish pie with a crisp crouton on top

Molly malone crouton pot

Method

1. Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain well, then return to the pan and mash until smooth. Add 175ml of the milk and mix together until smooth. Cool slightly, then pipe the creamy potatoes in a ring around the edge of 4 ovenproof serving dishes. Put in a low oven to keep warm.

2. Put the cod and rock salmon in a large pan and pour over the wine. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the fish is half cooked. Add the mussels and cockles and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes until the mussels have opened and the fish is cooked through (discard any unopened mussels). Strain the liquor off the fish and reserve the liquor and fish separately.

3. Melt the butter in a separate pan, add the onions, garlic and red pepper and fry gently for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and gradually add the remaining milk, stirring constantly. Stir in the reserved fish liquor. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Simmer gently for 2 minutes then stir in the tomato ketchup.

4. Flake the cod and rock salmon and remove 16 of the mussels from their shells. Add the flaked fish, shelled mussels and cockles to the white sauce. Stir in the chopped herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

5. Using a 5cm pastry cutter, cut 8 rounds from the bread slices. Heat a little sunflower oil in a frying pan, then add the bread rounds and fry (in two batches, if necessary) until golden and crisp on both sides, turning once. Drain on kitchen paper.

6. Remove the dishes containing the piped potato rings from the oven. Spoon the fish sauce into the centre of each potato ring, then garnish each serving with 2 mussels in their shells and 2 crisp croutons. Serve with a salad garnish.

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Serves: 4

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 50 min

Ingredients
1kg Potatoes, cut into chunks
350ml Milk
330g cod fillet
175g rock salmon or huss fillet
200ml dry White wine
24 large Mussels, in shells
110g fresh cockles, shelled
30g Butter
2 Onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 red Pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
30g plain Flour
4 tsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp chopped Dill
2 tsp chopped Parsley
2 medium slices white bread
sunflower oil, for frying
seasonal salad leaves, to garnish