I love the idea of fish and chips on a Friday or Saturday night, as a weekly routine, where you all sit together and just hang out. But the reality of it, all of the oil and grease, makes me feel sick for a good 24 hours after. So this is my solution – a one-tin wonder that is super-comforting and delicious, but still healthy. And you can serve it with whatever else you have left over to feed many.

Use whatever fish you have local to you — we often use preserved tuna (we preserve one a year) or trout (because there are lots in the streams near us). You can serve it warm or cold.

Fish and chip pie

1 potato (about 200g), cut into 1 cm cubes

1⁄4 head cauliflower (about 250g), cut into 1 cm florets, stem diced

extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, diced

1⁄2 bunch (60g) of flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stalks separated, both finely chopped

1⁄4 bunch (30g) of dill, fronds separated from stalks, both finely chopped (see note)

a big pinch of freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, crushed

7 eggs

80ml (1⁄3 cup) cream or sour cream

3 tbsp oil from the preserved fish (or extra-virgin olive oil if using fresh fish)

50g (1⁄3 cup) wholemeal spelt flour

1⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1⁄4 tsp unrefined salt

200g drained preserved tuna (or fresh fish fillets, cut into chunks)

1 large lemon, peeled, sliced and deseeded

Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced. Grease or line a 20cm round springform cake tin.

Parboil the potato and cauliflower in salted water for 4–5 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, then set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, add a splash of olive oil to a small frying pan over low–medium heat. Add the onion, herb stalks and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the garlic, turn the heat off and set aside.

Add the eggs and cream to a medium bowl and whisk well. Add the oil from the fish, the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then whisk until a smooth batter forms.

The Village, by Matt and Lentil (Plum, $45). Photograph: Pan Macmillan

Add the onion mixture and herb leaves and stir to combine.

Pour about half the batter into the prepared tin. Evenly layer the potato, cauliflower and fish on top of the batter and cover with the remaining batter. Shake the tin gently to settle all the ingredients, making sure the vegetables and fish are covered.

Top with the lemon, then bake for 45 minutes. When ready, the pie should be golden brown, the lemon a little burnt and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10–15 minutes before serving (it will be super hot!).

Serve the pie warm or cold, with a few side salads and tomato sauce.

Note: Sometimes fresh dill can be hard to find. You can replace it with a big pinch of dill seeds, just sauté them with the onion.

This is an edited extract from The Village, by Matt and Lentil (Plum, $45). Next week, broken cake dessert.

