Panfish Pie!

Something from the tackle box:

       The people started crying when God’s law was read to them.  Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who had been teaching the people all said, “This is a special day for the Lord your God.  So don’t be sad and don’t cry!”

       Nehemiah told the people, “Enjoy your good food and wine and share some with those who didn’t have anything to bring.  Don’t be sad!  This is a special day for the Lord, and he will make you happy and strong.”

       The Levites encouraged the people by saying, “This is a sacred day, so don’t worry or mourn!”  When the people returned to their homes, they celebrated by eating and drinking and by sharing their food with those in need, because they had understood what had been read to them. 

a light catch for an evening on jordan lake

        When it comes to the trout and bass that I go after, be it with a fly rod or spinning tackle, I am a dedicated practitioner of ‘catch and release’ fishing.  However, I am very much a ‘pot’ fisherman when I am in pursuit of panfish.  Bluegills, sunfish, perch, and crappies, if they are at least six inches long, are consigned to the creel, stringer, bucket, fish cage, or live well, as the particular fishing circumstances may dictate.  They have an imposed appointment to keep with the three ‘F’s, fillet knife, freezer, and frying pan. 

done up just the way I like them

       I like panfish.  I like them rolled in cracker-meal and pan-fried golden brown, served with a little tartar sauce, and fresh steamed vegetables on the side. It is a delicious repast to experience, and I am blessed by the fact that my wife likes them prepared this way too!  When the fishing has been good, we eat very well. 

       We also like sharing this favorite feast with others whenever the fishing has been better than good and we have a bountiful supply of panfish fillets on hand to share, which happens fairly often here in the Water Winter Wonderland in which we live.  A good number of friends, family, neighbors and parishioners can all attest to just how good Kathy’s pan-fried panfish really are. 

       That all being said, not everyone is a big fish-eater, and not every fish-eater is as an enthusiastic fried fish eater as I am.  Take my son, Nate, his wife, Tracy, and the three grands, Nolan, Gwen and Lydia.  They’ve done the pan-fried panfish thing a good number of times at our house over the years, and while there have never been any complaints, the last fish dinner did elicit a comment from my son that motivated me to undertake the culinary adventure I am about to relate. 

       “Wow, that sure was good, Mom, as always.  But ya know, Dad, you ought to check out some other recipes for your bluegills.  Just for a little variety, ya know.  Maybe something broiled or baked, with a glaze or something.  That would be good.”

       Now, I’m thinking; What kind of heresy is this!?...  Well… I can take a hint… better than most... I guess… Well… I CAN take a hint… even if it stings… just a little bit.

      But I’m saying;  “Sure, son.  That sounds like a good idea.  I’ll look into it,” as I put the whole idea on the furthest back burner of my mind, where it would simmer without too much attention for almost a year.  And the notion didn’t really come off that back burner until just a few weeks ago, when I was up at the cottage for a few days with a friend, teaching him the basics of how to use a fly rod on the waters of Long Lake. 

       I’ve known Wayne Johnson for over a dozen years now.  We’ve spent many weekends together, along with other men involved in an organization called ‘Keryx Prison Ministries,’ doing volunteer work at one of our State’s Department of Corrections facilities.  Our friendship became even closer when, a couple of years ago, Wayne told me that he would really like to go fishing with me sometime, and maybe even learn how to use a fly rod like I was always talking about.  Well, it took a while, but earlier this spring we did just that.  While the fishing was lousy, the gills and bass not having come up into the shallows to bed yet, Wayne did make some very good progress in learning the basics of fly casting.  I doubt that he will need much more of my dubious instruction when we go up again later this summer and, hopefully, get some fish. 

       Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand, during one of our mealtime conversations at the cottage, Wayne brought up a fish dish that he had tried, and liked very much, while on a yearlong job assignment in England, Fish Pie.  Being an Anglophile, that rare American who actually appreciates traditional British cuisine, I was interested.  I’ve eaten a lot of fish & chips on my several trips to the British Isles over the years, but never a fish pie.  He told me that it was a lot like a shepherd’s pie, but with fish and a cream sauce in place of the red meat and gravy that is found in the traditional British meat pie.  I asked Wayne if he had the recipe, and, if so, would he send it to me?  He said, “yes,” on both counts. 

       I am currently in possession of the aforementioned document, which I now lay out for your perusal.  A few conversions have been made to translate British usages into American equivalents (Celsius to Fahrenheit, grams to ounces, that sort of thing) and I’ve substituted heavy whipping cream for double cream, which is a tad bit fattier than whipping cream, but also, sadly, unavailable here. 

Small boneless fish fillets       1 lb.

Spinach                                        2 handfuls

Potatoes                                       4 large

Onion                                            1

Carrot                                           1

Eggs                                               2

Heavy Whipping Cream          8 oz.

Cheese (sharp cheddar)          2 handfuls

Lemon                                           juice of 1

Dry mustard                                1 tsp

Parsley (flat)                               2 tbsps

Some olive oil

Other seasonings as desired

       Cut potatoes into chunks and boil for 2 minutes.  Add the eggs and boil for 8 minutes.  Put the spinach into a steamer and steam for 1 minute.  All this can be done in one pan.  Remove spinach, squeeze out the water and chop.  Shell eggs and cut into slices.  Mash potatoes. 

       Meanwhile, chop onion and carrot.  Fry both together in olive oil for 5 minutes.  Then add cream, mustard, lemon juice and parsley to onion and carrot, mix off the heat. 

       Lay out fish fillets in buttered casserole dish or large pie pan.  Top the fish with the cream mixture, egg slices, spinach, and most of the cheese.  Then layer on the mashed potatoes and rest of the cheese.  Bake in oven at 400 F for 25/30 minutes.

This is the basic recipe.  Variations can include different type of fish, or even shellfish, sweet and ordinary potatoes mixed, additional savory spices, etc.  The recipe above should serve 4/6 people.  If salad and sides are served it will be more than enough, as the pie is quite rich.

That is the recipe as I got it.  Now to try it out on some friends!  And here’s how it went. 

       My first victi,…. guinea p,…. dinner guests,… to try the new dish out on, were our good friends, Don and Tomi Jo.  Kathy and I have shared many meals together with Don and Tomi at one another’s homes over the last several years, and I knew I could count on them to be both gracious and honest in their assessment of the results of this experiment, as we have with a few of theirs. 

       As it turned out, the date we chose for the panfish pie feast developed into a very busy day for my sweetheart with her job at the community college.  An early afternoon call home let me know that she wouldn’t be home until right around the time we had told our guests that dinner would be served, 6:30 p.m.  I would be on my own in getting everything ready and on the table.  So be it!

       I had all the ingredients on hand and ready, and at 4:30 the prep work began.  Tater’s chopped and in the pot to boil.  Add the eggs and boil some more.  Steam that spinach.  Remove and chop drained spinach.  Take eggs and potatoes off the heat.  Chop and fry onion and carrot.  Add cream, mustard and lemon juice.  Butter dish and lay in fish.  Cover with creamed onion/carrot.  Hardboiled egg slices.  Lots of cheese.  Cover with potato. – DRAT! – I forgot the spinach!  To late now – toss spinach in the garbage.  Cover potatoes with a little more cheese and wait until six to pop it in the oven.  Whew!

       Kathy got home just about five minutes before the timer went off.  Tomi Jo and Don were soon there and ready to eat.  Grace is said and we dig in.

Comments and assessments:

ready for the table

       “Not too bad.”

       “Better than I thought it would be.”

       “The cream sauce in it really works.”

       “Good job, Mark.”

       “Would be better with the spinach in there, though.”

       “Yeah, I know.  That was my mistake.  Next time.”

       “Could use more spices too.”

       “All I put in was the dry mustard the recipe called for.  Some salt and pepper would help, wouldn’t it?”

       “Yeah, but I was thinking more like some Thyme.”

       “Or some Dill Weed.”

       “That’s it!  It needs Dill Weed!”

       “What about some curry powder or Cajun spice?”

       “For and English dish?  No way!  Dill weed is what it needs.”

       “That or a little Thyme,…. or both.”

       “Is it worth making again,… for Tracy, Nate and the kids,.. would they eat it?”

       “Oh, sure!... I think.”

       “Ok,”

       “I still like my pan-fried panfish better.”

       “Me too.”

      

Something to take home in your creel:

       It’s good to try new things.  And this really was a pretty good meal, if I do say so myself. Heated up leftovers for lunch the next day were even better.  English Panfish Pie will be made again in the Jarvie kitchen, and served to our guests who have expressed a desire to eat my catch in something other than a pan-fried condition.  As for Kathy and I,…. well,… we aren’t throwing out any boxes of McCormick’s Cracker Meal just yet!