Even though I’ve long since given up on giving up anything for Lent (or practicing Catholicism, for that matter), I still can’t help but mark the time of the year.
So, of course, I know that it’s the time of the year for fish Fridays (or possibly vegetarian, but if you’re my age and Midwestern, the idea of giving up “meat” entirely used to be unacceptable, so fish is not “meat,” but that’s a whole other discussion). I’ve also given up this practice, at least intentionally, but I do like a good excuse to make something with fish.
That is even more true as I practice sustainable fish-eating habits and have been sitting on 2 pounds of frozen haddock from my last trip to Whole Foods, where I can reliably get sustainable seafood. It turns out as much as I’m nostalgic for my Highlands honeymoon, I just don’t eat that much fried food, so it’s sat less used than I imagined when I bought it.
Thankfully, Jamie Oliver’s 5 Ingredients cookbook delivered with a “crazy simple” fish pie.
Not only was it an incredibly simple dish, it called for specifically haddock and still managed to recall my Highlands honeymoon even though we never had this particular meal there.
As the cookbook and this recipe’s name suggest, the pie is short on ingredients and crazy simple. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal, and yet still manages to taste like something special.
I even managed to use a much smaller skillet than called for and it all worked out (unlike some of my past plans), though it was slightly more juicy so maybe lay off the soaking water if you’re using a 9-inch skillet, but it still tasted great and I have no regrets.
Here’s what I did (following the simple recipe other than size of skillet — which was meant to be 30 cm instead of 22 cm, so anything in between should work fine — and I did sneak in an extra phyllo dough sheet):
Ingredients
- 1 lb. haddock, skin off
- ~2 T. olive oil, divided
- 2 bunches of spring onions, chopped white and light green parts
- 250 g. baby spinach (about 1 ½ standard bags, though I could’ve fit 2 bags and been happy to enjoy more spinach … so there is some leeway, depending on tastes)
- 150 g. cheddar cheese (I sprung for the good-ish stuff, and it was slightly less than 1 block of Kerrygold cheddar)
- Pepper, to taste
- 5 sheets of phyllo dough (thawed)
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl or casserole dish, cover the fish with boiling kettle water.
Meanwhile, heat a 9- to 10-inch skillet (or up to 12-inch) on medium-high heat. Add in 1 T. of olive oil, and then add the spring onions, and pan fry for about 2 minutes. Add in the spinach in batches until all is wilted down, and then remove from heat.
Add a scant ½ c., maybe less if using a smaller skillet, of the fish-soaked water to the skillet, and then drain the remaining water from the fish. Break up the fish fillets using a fork and then place around the skillet. Grate over *most* of the cheddar, and season with black pepper. Layer 4 of the pieces of phyllo dough on top and slightly around the ingredients to form a pie topping. Tear up the last piece in a “nutty fashion,” per the recipe, sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese, and drizzle on the remaining olive oil.
Bake the pie for 15 to 17 minutes until golden and crisp, and enjoy!
