Hake & Spinach Fish Pie

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g hake fillets (thawed if frozen)
• 1 kg floury potatoes for mashing (such as Bintje)
• 450 g frozen whole-leaf spinach
• 300 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 20 g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 80 g grated Emmental
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large saucepan
• Sauté pan with lid
• Frying pan
• Potato masher
• Colander
• Baking dish

📖 Steps

1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into evenly sized pieces (about 4 cm) and put them in a large pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tip of a knife slides in without resistance.
2. Meanwhile, put the hake and bay leaf in the sauté pan and pour in the milk. Cover and heat gently until just simmering, then cook for 6 to 8 minutes without letting it boil, or the milk will boil over. The hake is done when its flesh is white and opaque.
3. Carefully lift the fish out with a spatula and leave it to cool slightly on a plate. Strain the poaching milk through the sieve and keep it for the mash. Flake the hake into large pieces with a fork, removing any bones.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Peel and chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the frozen spinach and garlic and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the released water has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, then press it in the sieve to squeeze out excess liquid.
5. Drain the potatoes and mash them with the butter using the potato masher. Gradually add the still-warm poaching milk, stirring, until the mash is soft but not runny. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
6. Spread the spinach over the bottom of the baking dish and scatter the flaked hake on top. Cover with the mash, spreading it gently with the spatula without mixing the layers, then sprinkle with the grated Emmental.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the edges are bubbling. For a crispier top, put it under the grill for 2 minutes, keeping an eye on it so the cheese doesn't burn.
8. Leave to rest for 5 minutes out of the oven before serving: the layers hold together better when you cut portions, and you avoid burning yourself. Serve with a green salad.