Hot Salmon Pie with Super-Crunch-Crust
A hearty smoked fish casserole, perfect for those cold winter days. Can easily be prepared with chicken or completely vegetarian also. See notes for alternatives!
Equipment
- Oven convection with top and bottom heat, at 120°C
- Strainer
- Mid-sized pot
- Microplane
- Frying pan
- Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 2 Leeks
- 250 g Small brown mushrooms
- 200 g Fresh salmon skin off
- 200 g Smoked salmon skin off
- 500 ml Milk
- 1 tbs Butter
- 2 tbs Flour
- 2 tbs Coarse-grain mustard
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced
- 1 Pinch Nutmeg
- Salt & pepper
- 1 Splash Olive oil
- 7 Sheets Yufka dough (Phyllo dough)
- 3 tbs Butter for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 120°C with convection and top and bottom heat. Yufka dough is very delicate and burns quickly, so it should be handled with low heat.
- Leeks:Trim both ends of the leeks, quarter them lengthwise, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Rinse the leeks thoroughly under cold running water and let drain well.
- Mushrooms:Clean the mushrooms, trim any brown spots, leave small mushrooms whole, and dice larger ones into bite-sized pieces.
- Fish:Skin the fish and check for bones – it's always unpleasant to find one in your food – then dice into bite-sized pieces.
- Béchamel: Melt butter in a pot, sprinkle with flour, and quickly whisk it in. Pour in 1/4 of the milk, constantly whisking, pour in another 1/4, continue whisking. Add remaining milk. This prevents lumps from forming. Bring the béchamel to a boil, stirring constantly, and let it thicken. Immediately reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for about five minutes. Stir in the mustard, lemon zest, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Taste and adjust the seasoning. This is the base for your casserole, so make sure it tastes good.
- Filling:Heat olive oil in pan, sauté the leeks until they take on some color, season with salt and pepper. Repeat with mushrooms. Spread the sautéed leeks and mushrooms evenly in casserole dish, place the fish cubes on top of the vegetable bed. Cover with béchamel and gently fold everything in.
- Crust:Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Cover the casserole with one sheet of Yufka dough, brush it with melted butter. Scrunch the next sheet of Yufka dough with your hands like an accordion and place it on the casserole. Proceed with the remaining sheets until the casserole is completely covered. Gently brush with butter and sprinkle evenly with salt.
- Finish:Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, turning the casserole once and checking regularly to ensure it browns evenly.That's it. Enjoy your meal!