Mac ‘n’ cheese fish pie

  • Portion size: Serves 6
  • Hands-on time 40 min, oven time 20 min
  • Difficulty: easy

Is this the ultimate pasta bake? Wave goodbye to your traditional mac ‘n’ cheese with this fish pie hybrid; its packed full of comforting flavours and will leave you feeling full and satisfied, just as a pasta bake should.

Looking for more macaroni recipes? Take a look at our dazzling macaroni cheese collection.

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Ingredients

  • 400g macaroni pasta
  • 50g butter
  • Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
  • ½ bunch fresh basil, chopped
  • ½ bunch fresh chives, chopped
  • ½ bunch fresh dill, chopped
  • 50g plain flour
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika, plus extra
  • 2 tbsp brandy, plus an extra splash
  • 750ml whole milk
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp Tabasco
  • Juice ½ lemon
  • 125g comté or gruyère cheese, grated
  • 75g cheddar, grated
  • 225g sustainable large raw peeled prawns
  • 300g monkfish, filleted and cut into chunks (or use haddock)
  • 6 sustainable raw shell-on prawns (see tip)

You’ll also need…

  • 1.6-2 litre baking dish
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Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, then drain well and set aside. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
  2. Meanwhile make the sauce. Put the butter and oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and fry, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the herbs and stir into the oil. Remove a third of the herb mixture and set aside.
  3. Stir the flour into the pan with the remaining herb butter, then cook for 1-2 minutes until it smells toasty. Stir in the paprika and brandy, then cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk, little by little, until smooth.
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  5. Turn up the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened, then stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice and most of both grated cheeses. Taste and season – we like to add a splash more brandy (see Make Ahead).
  6. To assemble the fish pie, stir the 225g peeled prawns, monkfish and cooked pasta into the cheese sauce. Spoon into the baking dish, nestle in the 6 shell-on prawns, then top with the remaining grated cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling and the fish is cooked through. Top with the reserved herb butter and extra paprika to garnish.

Nutrition

  • 655kcals Calories
  • 26.4g (14.8g saturated) Fat
  • 39g Protein
  • 60.7g (7.3g sugars) Carbs
  • 3.9g Fibre
  • 1.3g Salt

Quick wins & tips

If you can’t get shell-on prawns, use sustainable peeled raw tiger prawns.

Make Ahead

Make the sauce to the end of step 4 up to 2 days ahead, cool and keep chilled, then gently reheat to assemble and cook.

To Drink

This needs a top New Zealand chardonnay or premium Rhône Valley white.

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