Baked Smoked Eel Pie

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 large carrots, peeled
• 2 large onions
• 2 large leeks, trimmed and well rinsed
• 2 large potatoes, peeled
• 1 lb mussels, cleaned
• 2 ounces wine
• 2 large smoked eel, skinned, boned and heads removed (2 pounds total)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt
• pepper, fresh ground
• 10 ounces fish stock
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large sheets premade puff pastry
• 1 medium egg, beaten

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• 2 cut the vegetables into 1 inch pieces and separately steam until tender.
• 3 check mussels and discard bad ones.
• 4 heat wine in a pan, add the mussels and cover.
• 5 cook over high heat for a few minutes until mussels open, discarding any that are still closed.
• 6 remove the mussel meat from the open shells.
• 7 cut the eels into 2 inch pieces.
• 8 heat oil in a frying pan, add the eel pieces, and cook quickly to brown all over.
• 9 season well and place in the bottom of a 9 1/2 inch square pie dish, about 1 1/2 inch deep.
• 10 scatter the vegetables over the eels and season, then add mussels.
• 11 pour over the fish stock and dot with butter.
• 12 cut out a strip of pastry about 3/4 inch wide and press on to the rim of the pie dish.
• 13 then cut out an oval piece of pastry, which is just larger all around than the dish.
• 14 brush a little water over the pastry rim and top with the pastry lid.
• 15 press together to seal, then trim off excess pastry, knock up the edges and flute.
• 16 brush a little beaten egg over the lid and use a sharp knife to make a hole in the center.
• 17 bake the pie for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and is golden brown.
• 18 remove from the oven and allow the pie to cool for 10 minutes before eating.