Low FODMAP Fish Pie

Serves 6

Fish pie is one of my all-time favourite dishes. It's so easy to make and such a great comfort food, especially as the days are getting colder at this time of year. I usually make mine with garlic but obviously that is a no-no on this diet. I found that the green part of spring onions (pretty much the only onion you're allowed on the FODMAP diet apart from chives) made a pretty good substitute, as it manages to convey that same onion-family flavour. I served this to my non-FODMAP family and they couldn't tell the difference between this one and the one I usually make! 


Ingredients

800g  mixed fish (I use two supermarket fish pie selection boxes for ease, however you can use fillets of fish from your local fishmonger. The best types of fish for this pie in my opinion are salmon, haddock and smoked haddock.)
1.6kg potatoes, peeled, chopped and boiled
1 pint/600ml lactose free milk (I use Lactofree)
300ml double cream*
4 spring onions (green parts only), chopped
4 eggs, boiled and quartered (optional)
100-200g grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to season

*in my low-FODMAP guidelines, cream, sour cream, creme fraiche and butter are all safe to eat. However, if you are particularly sensitive to lactose, I would use lactose-free cream, which Lactofree produce and which is stocked in both Tesco and Sainsbury's.

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180' C/160 for fan oven/Gas Mark 4. 
• Boil your chopped potatoes for about twenty minutes, or until they are soft when you poke them with a fork. Drain and set aside.
• Put the milk, cream, fish and chopped spring onion in a large saucepan and cook on a medium heat for about 4 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and looks opaque. In a low-FODMAP diet, you can only use the green part of the spring onion, and in my opinion it's pretty vital in this dish to give it some extra flavour. Season to taste.
• Remove the fish and the onion with a slotted spoon and place into a large ovenproof dish.
• Turn up the heat on the sauce and let it boil for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, so that it thickens a little. I've found that lactose free milk thickens much quicker than regular milk, so make sure you keep an eye on it so that it doesn't boil away.
• Pour the sauce over the fish, and top with the boiled eggs if using.
• Spoon over the mashed potato and smooth it over with a fork. Scatter the cheddar cheese on the top.
• Pop into the oven for around 30-40 minutes. I have a fan oven that is insanely hot so I usually put mine in for about 25-30 minutes.
• Dig in and enjoy!