Fish and fennel pies with sourdough crust
- Bitesize Savoury
- Jun 7, 2015
- 2 min read

INGREDIENTS
50g butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 baby fennel, thinly sliced
40g plain flour
375ml hot fish stock
350g skinless firm white fish fillets, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons pouring cream
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 slices day-old sourdough, crusts removed
25g finely grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dill leaves
mayonnaise, to serve
lemon wedges, to serve
SHORTCRUST PASTRY
300g plain flour
120g cold unsalted butter, cubed
pinch salt
2 egg yolks
METHOD
To make the pastry, place the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and 80 ml cold water and pulse again until just starting to come together. Knead on a floured surface to bring together, shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat, add the onion and fennel and sauté for 2–3 minutes or until softened and translucent. Add the flour and mix well. Add 125 ml of stock and stir well, ensuring there are no lumps. Gradually add the remaining stock, stirring well. Add the fish, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring gently until the sauce has thickened. Stir through the cream and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
Process the bread in a food processor until roughly chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir through the parmesan and dill.
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly grease twenty 6 cm x 2.5 cm pie tins. Roll out the pastry to 5 mm thick and, using an 8 cm round cutter, cut out 20 circles. Press each circle into the tins, trimming excess pastry. Divide the fish mixture between the tins, top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the tops are golden. Leave to cool slightly, then remove from the tins using a butter knife.
Serve with the mayonnaise and lemon wedges.
Commentaires