Start by placing your cod in a small pan alongside the bay leaf. Cover with the milk, place over high heat, bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, then transfer the fish to a bowl for it to cool down. Don’t discard the milk.

Slice the onions and the leek, roughly chop the garlic, shred the carrots. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil, and the sliced onions and leek. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Push the cooked onions and leek to a side, add in the chopped garlic, let it cook for 2 minutes before stirring it into the onions and leeks.

Stir in the shredded carrots, let everything cook for another 5 minutes or until soften.

In the meantime, remove the skin and bones from the cod, discard it. Use your hands to break the fish into smaller chunks. You can also use a food blender if you prefer it shredded finer. Mix the fish into the sautéed produce. Season with black pepper, turn of the heat, set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Add the butter to a separate saucepan, place it over low to medium heat. Once it starts to bubble, add in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Gradually add in 500ml of the milk used to cook the cod, stirring with a whisk as you go, until you get a smooth sauce. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens. Season with freshly ground nutmeg, and black pepper.

Stir about a third of the bechamel into the sautéed cod mixture. Pour this creamy cod mixture into a baking tray.

Add the egg yolks to a bowl, add in a little splash of the hot bechamel to temper them, whisk well to combine. Tip it out into the remaining bechamel, stir immediately to prevent it from coagulating. Stir in the mustard and the heavy cream.

Layer the eggy bechamel on top of the creamy cod. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese, bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy with a simple salad or steamed rice.