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| What You Need: |
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6 medium-sized baking potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into quarters
7 tablespoons butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons butter, cut into ¼-inch bits
1½ to 1¾ cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 raw medium-sized shrimp
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
¼ teaspoon dried fennel seeds
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ pound of fillets of any firm white fish such as sole, haddock or flounder, cut into 2-inch pieces
½ pound fresh or thoroughly defrosted frozen crab meat, or substitute one 7½-ounce can crab meat, thoroughly drained
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Drop the potatoes into enough lightly salted boiling water to cover them completely. Boil briskly, uncovered, until tender. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan. Shake over low heat until they are dry and mealy. Then mash them to a smooth puree with a fork, a potato ricer or an electric mixer.
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2. Beat in 4 tablespoons of the butter and ½ cup of the milk, 2 tablespoons at a time. Use up to ¼ cup more milk if necessary to make a puree just thick enough to hold its shape in a spoon. Beat in the salt and a few grindings of black pepper, taste for seasoning, and set aside.
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3. Shell the shrimp, and devein them by making a shallow incision down their backs with a small knife and lifting out their intestinal veins. Wash the shrimp under cold running water, and pat them dry with paper towels.
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4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over moderate heat. When the foam has almost subsided, add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until they are soft and transparent but not brown.
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5. Thoroughly mix in the flour, pour in the remaining 1 cup of milk and the cream, and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the sauce is smooth and thick.
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6. Add the parsley, anchovy paste, fennel seeds and cayenne pepper, and stir until the anchovy paste dissolves. Then add the shrimp, fish and crab meat, and simmer slowly for about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and pour the entire contents of the skillet into a 4- to 5-quart baking dish.
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7. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the fish and smooth the top with a spatula. Make an attractive pattern on the potatoes with the tines of a fork, and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter cut into bits.
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8. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the top of the pie is a light golden brown. Slide under the broiler for a few seconds to give the crust a deeper color, and serve at once directly from the baking dish.
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