Chef and podcaster Ben Benton. Photo: Harriet Slaughter
When I think about British fish, I think about contradictions. We are an island nation that exports much of its best catch and imports what it thinks it prefers. We celebrate the romance of the dayboat yet often overlook what actually comes ashore. Writing All You Can Eat, I found myself returning again and again to this tension – abundance versus neglect, pride versus squeamishness – and to the cooks who quietly make extraordinary food from what’s available.
Two fish-based crowning glories sit in my mind from my trip. The first is Riley's Fish Shack, perched above King Edward’s Bay in Tynemouth, where the chalkboard lists whatever the North Sea has yielded to the early-morning Tynemouth shout market that morning. It might be mackerel, it might be gurnard, it might be something less fashionable; it is almost always a by-catch of the local prawn and langoustine fishing industry. The joy is in the cooking and the confidence that this beautiful fish deserves better than to be an afterthought.
The second is almost 100 miles from the sea, at Leeds Road Fisheries in Bradford. Here, the masala fish and chips are a minor miracle: spiced barely-there batter giving way to perfectly seasoned and flaking fish, the spicing muscular and fragrant rather than blowtorched with heat. Served in a naan if you know what’s good for you, this is a reminder that British seafood culture is as much inland and diasporic as it is coastal.
This fish pie borrows from both places. If you have a nearby fishmonger, ask him for what’s locally landed and best value, although this works with easily found supermarket fish too – look for a mix of haddock, cod, whiting or lemon sole – folded into a spiced white sauce bright with ginger and green chilli. The mashed potato topping is laced with the kind of masala warmth I loved in Bradford: cumin, coriander, turmeric and a pinch of chilli. It’s a generous, practical dish, perfect for a weekend table, and a small argument for treating our everyday seafood with a bit more imagination.
Masala fish pie and spiced pea thoran. Photo: Harriet Slaughter
Ben’s masala fish pie with spiced pea thoran
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the filling
500g mixed white fish (such as haddock, cod, whiting or lemon sole), skin removed, cut into large chunks
1 white onion, finely diced
1 leek, washed and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3cm piece of ginger, grated
2 small green finger chillies, finely chopped (or less if you like less heat)
50g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
250ml fish or vegetable stock
150ml double cream
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
Small handful chopped coriander leaves
Juice of 1 lime
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
1kg floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper), peeled and cut into large chunks
50g butter
75ml milk
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
Fine sea salt
For the spiced pea thoran (optional but excellent)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 small dried chilli
200g frozen peas
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
Juice of ½ a lime
Fine sea salt
Method
Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until tender, about 10-12 mins when up to a boil. Drain and allow to steam dry in a colander until needed.
Meanwhile, start the filling. Melt the butter in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and leek with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 8-10 mins until soft but not coloured. Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilli and cook for 1 min more.
Add the turmeric, coriander and cumin, stirring until fragrant. Sprinkle over the flour and cook out for a few minutes, then gradually add the stock, stirring to form a smooth sauce. Add the cream and simmer gently for 3-4 mins until lightly thickened. Season with salt, pepper and the lime juice. Fold in the chopped coriander, add the fish pieces and remove from the heat.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan).
Finish the mash. Mash the potatoes with the butter and milk until smooth. Stir in the cumin, turmeric, chilli powder and salt to taste. The colour should be softly golden and the flavour warmly spiced.
Add the fish mixture to a buttered dish and spoon on the mash, working into a single layer and roughing up the surface with a fork. Bake for 25-30 mins, until bubbling at the edges and bronzed on top. Rest for 5-10 mins before serving.
If making the thoran, heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and, when they begin to pop, add the cumin seeds and dried chilli. Add the coconut and a pinch of salt and dry fry with the spices for 2-3 mins until the coconut is starting to toast and colour – you’ll smell it. Add the peas, stir a few times until the peas are cooked through then finish with lime juice and a pinch more salt if it needs it.
Serve generous scoops of pie with the bright, spicy peas alongside. Gorgeous, and somehow perfectly British.
Ben Benton is a chef and writer who is the co-host of the Go To Food podcast and the co-author of Max’s Sandwich Book. His new book, All You Can Eat: The Search for a New British Menu, is published this week by Profile (£18.99)