Hake and prawn pie

To many of you, hake pie or fish pie in general may sound old-fashioned; perhaps it is not in fashion. But that does not mean that it is not delicious and that it is not wonderful for any celebration such as the upcoming Christmas feasts, because it is one of those dishes that you can prepare in advance and that is eaten cold. A convenience for those who are in charge of preparing the feasts at home.

Besides, don't we old folks have the right to enjoy ourselves too? I bet there are old folks in your house who aren't very keen on pokes, pizzas and ramen bowls... Give them a treat, what's the trouble, by Jove. Put some quinoa in the cake and you've got it updated... ahem.

And then there's the fact that if you make this cake in a nice Le Creuset ceramic terrine and decorate it properly, it still makes an interesting and elegant dish. Yes, it does. You can make it as luxuriously or economically as you like: frozen hake is a good price, there's no need to use hake on a skewer, and with prawns, it's three quarters of the same. Add some vegetables to accompany it and there you have it.

The formula is quite standard, one of the most widespread and common recipes for this type of cake and with guaranteed results, adapted to the size of the large Le Creuset terrine .

Le Creuset Rectangular Ceramic Terrine and De Buyer Cake Server

Ingredients

• 800 g frozen hake
• 150 g of already peeled prawns
• 5 large eggs
• 200 g liquid cream (minimum 35% fat, no cooking cream)
• 200 g of homemade fried tomato, if possible (thick)
• Salt to taste
• A little butter and breadcrumbs for the mold

Preparation

1. Defrost hake in the microwave or in the refrigerator overnight; do the same with frozen prawns.
2. Place the hake in a microwave-safe container, cover and cook until it is no longer raw, being careful not to overcook it. The time will depend on the power of the appliance, but at least 10 minutes. You can also cook it in plain salted water, but it will lose more substance.
3. While the hake is cooking, in a salad bowl beat the eggs with the liquid cream and tomato until smooth.
4. Break up the hake and add it to the mixture. Blend it together; you can also blend the mixture in a hand blender , depending on whether you like to see some chunks of fish or prefer the cake to be very fine. Add salt to taste; if you want to check the consistency, take a spoonful of the mixture and set it in the microwave. Taste the saltiness and adjust if necessary.
5. Grease the ceramic terrine with butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. If you want to make sure you can easily remove the cake, place a strip of paper along the length, almost as wide as the bottom of the terrine, with the ends sticking out so you can pull it out properly.
6. Pour the cake mixture into the mould and smooth the surface. Cover with the terrine lid.
7. Place the terrine in a baking dish that fits well and fill it with hot water at least halfway up.
8. Place the dish with the terrine in the oven preheated to 180° and bake for at least 45-50 minutes. After this time, remove the dish, uncover the cake and check if it is done by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean, it is ready. On the other hand, if it comes out with cake residue, continue baking for at least 10 more minutes.
9. Once the cake has set, remove the terrine and allow it to cool completely at room temperature. Then place it in the refrigerator for the cake to rest for at least 8 hours and set.
10. Once well chilled, insert a spatula between the cake and the terrine to make sure it comes loose.
11. Invert the mold onto a serving dish and garnish with the peeled and de-inserted prawns.
12. Garnish with herbs and serve with mayonnaise, pink sauce or hollandaise sauce, which goes perfectly with it.

Le Creuset rectangular ceramic terrine