Really good fish pie

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.

2. For the mashed potato:Begin by making up the mashed potato for the topping. Place the potatoes into a saucepan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook until the potatoes are very soft. Drain and leave in the colander to extract as much liquid as possible.

3. Put the warm potatoes through a sieve into a bowl and beat in the butter, cream and egg yolks, check the seasoning and set aside.

4. For the filling:Place the smoked haddock into a shallow saucepan together with the milk, rosemary and onion and poach it over a moderate heat. Remove the poached haddock from the milk with a slotted spoon and set aside. When cool remove the skin and flake chunkily. Repeat this poaching process in the same milk, firstly with the salmon cubes and then with the cubes of cod.

5. Once you have poached the fish, strain the milk and set this aside.

6. Heat the frying pan over a high heat, add a splash of oil and quickly sear the scallops on each side, just enough to colour them. Do the same with the chunks of monkfish.

7. Arrange all the fish in the bottom of the gratin dish, layering where necessary.

8. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes to make a roux. Next pour in the strained milk, with the saucepan still on the heat, beat continuously until you have a thick béchamel type sauce. Add the whipping cream and heat again stirring continuously.

9. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the chopped eggs, capers, parsley and lemon juice. Pour this mixture over the fish in the gratin dish.

10. Place the gratin dish into the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes till the fish is hot right through.

11. Re-heat the potatoes in a saucepan over a moderate heat and then spread over the fish and white sauce in the gratin dish. Place the gratin dish under the grill to colour the potatoes for approximately 10 -15 minutes and then serve immediately.