Comforting Creamy Seafood Stew with Mashed Potatoes.

Wonderfully rustic, this dish is great when entertaining. You will not need to serve a starter , as this stew is very rich , just a little dessert afterwards should do it. Basically this is a deconstructed traditional fish pie. The thing I love about my recipe, is that I can put the stew and mashed potatoes and boiled eggs on the table, and everyone just helps themselves. No pressure , just relaxed dining.
I will not give here a mashed potatoes recipe, as , I'm sure , you all have your own favourites! I will , however, mention that with this particular stew I mix cheddar and grated nutmeg with the potatoes. Also, I would recommend to serve cooked eggs (hard or soft boiled) alongside this stew,cook as many as there are people around your table, maybe add a couple extra if you have big eaters!  And don't forget fresh crusty bread , so you can mop up the creamy sauce!
This quantity will easily serve 6 adults as a main dish. Remember , that you can use any fish/seafood combination that you like.
500 gr salmon fillet
300 gr smoked cod (or haddock)
300 gr raw prawns
1 white onion
2 cloves of garlic
a splash of olive oil
2 whole cloves
a generous splash of sherry
a knob of butter
1,5 cups of water
2 bay leaves
a tsp of wholegrain mustard
a small bunch of dill
a small bunch of parsley
1 big carrot
a handful of frozen garden peas
200 ml of double cream
salt and black pepper to taste
Get a deep sauce pan, splash some olive oil in it , chop onion and garlic , sautee them for about 3-4 min.

Stir in the butter, as soon as the butter has melted add the sherry.

Next step: throw in the cloves and stir in the mustard.

Chop the carrots and put them in the saucepan, pour the 1,5 cups of water over the onions and carrots. Reduce the heat to the minimum , cover the saucepan and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the carrots are almost ready. While the carrots are cooking prepare the fish and prawns.

 Now turn the heat up to medium and put in the fish , the prawns, the frozen peas and the bay leaves. Cook for about 3 min, until the sauce is at the boiling point, then turn the heat down again.

 And the final step: stir in gently the cream and the herbs and cook for a further 5 min, make sure the fish and prawns are cooked before switching off. Be careful not to overcook.Season to taste.

Place on the table , serve with heaps of mashed potatoes!

Enjoy!