The layered flavours of salty fish, black olives and sweetly caremelised fennel turn this into a symphony of a pie.  If you have no fennel but fancy making it, you could use onions instead. It would lack the delicate anise flavours that go so well with fish but it would still be delicious. I used yellow eyed mullet we were given by a neighbour that we boned and smoked but any kind of oily smoked fish would be perfect.

Ingredients

• 1 quantity of olive oil pastry (see below)
• 2 good sized fennel bulbs, some fronds reserved
• 50 ml olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 350 gm smoked fish
• ½ cup sour cream
• 8 black olives

Method

1. Cut the fennel into 5mm slices and put into a warm frying pan with the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Leave to cook down until the fennel has collapsed and caremelised, about half an hour.
2. Meanwhile, turn the oven to 200 Celsius and make the pastry according to the directions below. Roll out and line a 25 cm flan dish with it or make a free form shape as in the photo. Prick the bottom all over with a fork (but don’t pierce it right through) and bake for 10 minutes. 
3. While this is baking, flake the fish and stir it through the sour cream.  Finely chop the fennel fronds and stir them through the fish mixture. Taste for salt and adjust if it needs it.
4. Take the pastry shell out of the oven and cool slightly. Pile the fish mixture inside the pastry and spread the mixture into an even layer.
5. Pile the now softened fennel on top of the fish and dot with stoned and halved black olives. Drizzle with olive oil.
6. Cook for another 20 minutes until the fennel is browned on the top. Sprinkle with more fennel fronds if you have some left over.

Olive oil pastry

• 21/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup warm water

Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Mix the warm water and olive oil together then pour into the flour. Stir until combined with a fork then knead briefly so it all comes together. Rest for five or ten minutes.