Baked Smoked Eel Pie Recipes

FISH PIE

Steps:

• Push a clove into the skin of each onion. Place in a pot or large skillet, add milk, turn stove onto medium high heat.
• When milk is barely simmering, add fish - don't worry if it's not entirely covered, it can be turned / moved around.
• Poach fish for 7 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer fish straight into a medium baking dish (Note 8).
• Flake into chunks using forks. Remove bones if you see any.
• Use slotted spoon to remove onion and cloves from milk, discard. RESERVE milk.
• Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Boil water for potatoes.
• Melt butter in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Then add celery and carrot, cook for 5 minutes until carrot is soft.
• Turn heat down to medium low. Add flour, mix in - it will look gluey.
• Add half the milk and quickly start mixing. Once incorporated, the mixture will thicken quickly. Add remaining milk and stir. (Video helpful here)
• Turn heat up to medium and keep stirring until the mixture thickens to the consistency of honey - about 3 minutes. (Note 7)
• Take it off the heat, stir through tarragon and parsley. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• Scatter top of flaked fish with peas, then pour over the Sauce. GENTLY stir through (don't want fish to turn into mush!).*
• Smooth top, then nestle egg in all over the pie.
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until soft. (Do this while making the Sauce).
• Drain potato, add butter, milk, salt and pepper. Mash until creamy - add more milk if required.
• Immediately dollop then spread onto pie (cold mash = hard to spread).
• Use fork to draw squiggles on surface (rough surface = better golden bits).
• Drizzle surface with melted butter, sprinkle with parmesan.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until top is deep golden.
• Stand for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with parsley if desired. See notes for reheating and make ahead.

BRAISED MI'KMAW EEL PIE

Steps:

• Wash eels thoroughly. Cut a lengthwise slit down the side of each eel, about 1/8-inch deep. Slice into 3-inch pieces.
• IN a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add eel and boil for about 10 minutes. Drain and remove the spine from each of the eel segments.
• Place fish into a 9-inch cast iron frying pan or ovenproof dish. Add water to just cover the fish. Bake at 400F for about 30 minutes, until the water has run dry and the eels are browned on both sides. You will hear a sizzling sound - in Mi'Kmaw niwetesinkik. Remove from oven and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Cut in lard, using a pastry cutter, or mix with your hands until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With a fork, stir in milk, a little at a time.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Spread out; knead with the palms of your hands or use a rolling pin until it is about 1/2-inch thick.
• Add water to the eel pan, to about half the depth of the fish. Lay the pastry over the eel; the dough should fit within the oven proof pan without falling out over the edges. Cut 2 vent holes in the center of the pastry and dab milk on the surface.
• Bake at 400F for 35-40 minutes, or until crust browns. Watch that the water does not dry up,. If you hear a sizzling sound, add a little bit of water, no more than 1/4 cup at a time (this will probably just happen once).

SMOKED FISH PIE

Steps:

• Melt butter over a low heat.
• Add flour and salt n pepper and cook until it resembles bread crumbs.
• Remove from heat and add cream and milk gradually stirring between each addition with a whisk.
• Put back onto heat and stir until thick.
• Saute' onion in a little olive oil, add curry powder and cook until onion is clear and curry is aromatic.
• Chop dill finely and add onion, curry, dill and parsley to white sauce.
• Flake up fish and add to sauce, fold in gently and put into pie dish.
• Lightly mash together Kumara, garlic and salt n pepper.
• Lay evenly over fish and sauce, sprinkle grated cheese on top then bread crumbs and top with a sprinkle of paprika.
• Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

BAKED EELS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F and lightly butter a baking dish.
• Cut fish in two- or three-inch pieces; wash in salted water and dry thoroughly.
• Dredge with flour, season with salt and pepper and place in prepared pan.
• Dot with butter and add water to prevent burning.
• Cover and bake for 15 minutes or until fish is browned.