Easy Fish Pie
This easy Fish Pie is one of my favourite comfort food recipes. The filling consists of delicate fish fillets, prawns and sliced hard boiled eggs in a creamy white sauce. It is covered with buttery mashed potato and topped with a sprinkle of tangy mature cheese. The milk that is used to cook the fish then forms the basis of the sauce which means that there is a double hit of flavour. If I make this for my family, I feel that I am doing full-on food-related nurturing!
There are a few steps involved in making the pie but they are all very simple and they can be done in parallel. For example, you can prepare the potatoes and the eggs while the fish is cooking. I find it quite therapeutic to put this pie together ready for a family supper or lunch. I will sometimes make it on the day that we are planning to eat it. However, quite often, I will make it a day ahead and re-heat it which means that it can be on the table within half an hour.
Another brilliant aspect of this pie is that all you need to accompany it is a green vegetable, steamed beans or peas, or maybe some carrots. You need nothing else as the pie includes both filling and potato. This is great if you are entertaining as you can spend time with your guests.
- Easy Shortbread Recipe
- Cranberry Gin
- Beetroot Soup with Coconut
- Leek and Potato Soup with Fresh Chives
- Blackberry Gin
What you need to know about this Fish Pie Recipe
- You can use any kind of fish to make this recipe. I like to use a combination of different kinds but you can just use one kind if you prefer. Good options are salmon or any kind of white fish (cod, haddock, hake, pollack). If you don’t want to add prawns, you can just increase the quantify of fish.
- Whatever kind of fish you use, you must use ensure that it is filleted. You do not want any bones lurking in your pie. It is worth checking the fillets to make sure that all the bones have been removed before cooking the fish (step 2).
- I include hard boiled eggs in my fish pie. I do this because my mother added them to her fish pie and because I love the combination of egg and fish. However, I understand that not everyone is a boiled egg fan. If you don’t like them, it is fine to leave them out.
- You can freeze the pie once it has been assembled (step 10) and keep it for three months. Make sure that you assemble your pie in a freezer-proof container. Allow the pie to cool to room temperature. Wrap the whole container in cling-film or foil and freeze. When you want to use it, allow it to defrost in the fridge and then take it out and allow it to reach room temperature. You can then remove the wrapping and heat in the oven for 30 minutes.
Step-by-step recipe
Place fish fillets in an oven-proof dish
Add chopped onion, bay leaves and pepper to the milk
Pour the milk over the fish fillets and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the cooked fish and retain the flavoured milk to make the sauce.
Hard boil the eggs.
Put the cooked fish fillets and hard boiled eggs into the oven-proof dish.
Make the white sauce using the retained milk. Add the prawns and then pour the sauce over the fish and eggs.
Cover with mashed potato and top with grated cheese.
Cook for 15 minutes (or 30 minutes if reheating from room temperature).
Other simple suppers
I am always on the look-out for simple supper or lunch recipes. I need things that are easy to make and can, if required, be made in advance. In addition to this Fish Pie recipe, I also have a few others that I make regularly.
I love easy stew recipes, particularly if they have a bit of an exotic twist, and often make Lemon Chicken with Olives and Moroccan Seafood Stew. Both of these are very simple but taste delicious. They are great week-night recipes but also are good if you are entertaining.
I also have a huge repertoire of pasta recipes including Smoked Salmon Pasta and Mushroom and Chestnut Pasta plus a few easy sauces such as Mint Pesto and basic Tomato Sauce.
Another good option for a simple supper is a savoury tart. These can be eaten hot or at room temperature and are easily portioned. Some of my favourites include Onion Tart, Carrot and Coriander Tart and Beetroot Tart.
Other seafood recipes
If you love seafood, you might like some of my other recipes.
- Crab and prawn tart with chilli, lime and coriander – easy savoury tart with Asian flavours
- Smoked Salmon Tart with Prawns – another easy savoury tart with tasty smoked salmon and juicy prawns
- Prawn Pasta with Sorrel and Chive Herb Butter – simple pasta supper with prawns and herbs
- Smoked Salmon Pasta – creamy made-in-minutes pasta supper
- Smoked Salmon Pate – tasty home-made pate
- Moroccan Seafood Stew – easy-peasy seafood stew with a hint of spice
Easy Fish Pie recipe
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Fish Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: English
Description
This easy Fish Pie combines fish fillets, prawns and hard boiled egg slices in a creamy white sauce. It is covered with mashed potato and topped with a sprinkle of tangy cheese.
Ingredients
- 900 g (2 lb) fish fillets (cod, haddock, salmon etc)
- 425 ml (3/4 pint) milk
- 1 small onion
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
- 5 eggs (optional)
- 25 g (1 oz) butter
- 25 g (1 oz) plain flour
- 165 g (6 oz) raw peeled prawns
- 675 g (1 1/2 lb) potatoes
- A little butter and milk
- A little hard cheese (eg cheddar)
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 180 C, 400 F or Gas Mark 4.
- Put the raw fish fillets into a large oven-proof dish. Pour over the milk. Peel and roughly chop the onion and add this to the dish together with the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.
- Put the dish in the oven for 15 minutes until the fish fillets are cooked.
- Remove the dish from the oven. Leave the cooked fish in the dish. If any of the fillets had skin on them, this can now be easily removed. Strain the milk into a measuring jug and set it aside. Discard the onion pieces and bay leaf.
- If you are using eggs, place the raw eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan and immediately place them in a pan of cold water to stop the cooking process. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, remove the shells, slice the eggs and place them in the oven-proof dish with the cooked fish.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook gently for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk in which the fish was cooked. Then return the pan to the heat and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. This will take around 5 minutes.
- Put the raw prawns into the saucepan of sauce and cook for 3 minutes until they turn pink.
- Pour the sauce containing the prawns over the cooked fish and egg slices.
- Make the topping by peeling the potatoes and chopping into large chunks. Put the potato pieces into a saucepan of cold water with a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes. Drain the cooked potatoes and mash them with a knob of butter and a little milk.
- Spread the mashed potatoes over the fish mixture. Top with a few small knobs of butter and a little grated cheese.
- Put the pie in the oven and cook for 15 minutes until the top is golden brown. If you assemble the pie in advance, you will need to re-heat it for around 30 minutes from room temperature.
Keywords: fish, pie
This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Lost in Food and #FiestaFriday with Fiesta Friday