British Fish Pie
Smoked and unsmoked fish poached in milk, folded into a creamy herb sauce with peas, then topped with mashed potatoes and baked until golden.
By Cookin' Kitchen
- Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Servings: 6 servings
Recipe
British Fish Pie
Smoked and unsmoked fish poached in milk, folded into a creamy herb sauce with peas, then topped with mashed potatoes and baked until golden.
Cookin' · https://cookin.club/recipes/british-fish-pie
- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook
- 1 hour
- Total
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
For 6 servings
Fish
White Sauce
Potato Topping
Pie
Equipment
- Pot or large skillet
- Slotted spoon
- Medium baking dish
- Forks
- Large, deep skillet or pot
- Large pot
- Fork
- Oven
Instructions
Fish
Step 1: Push a clove into the skin of the quartered onion. Put the onion in a pot or large skillet, add the milk and set over medium-high heat.
Step 2: When the milk is barely simmering, add the fish. It does not need to be completely submerged; turn or move it around as needed.
Step 3: Poach the fish for 7 minutes, then transfer it with a slotted spoon directly to a medium baking dish.
Step 4: Flake the fish into chunks with forks. Remove any bones you find.
Step 5: Use a slotted spoon to remove and discard the onion and cloves from the milk. Reserve the milk.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Bring water to a boil for the potatoes.
Sauce
Step 7: Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, until the carrot is soft.
Step 8: Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the flour and mix it in; the mixture will look gluey.
Step 9: Add half the milk and quickly begin mixing. Once incorporated, the mixture will thicken quickly. Add the remaining milk and stir.
Step 10: Raise the heat to medium and keep stirring until the sauce thickens to the consistency of honey, about 3 minutes.
Tip: The sauce should be fairly thick before it goes into the pie; it will not thicken in the oven.
Step 11: Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the tarragon and parsley, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the Pie
Step 12: Scatter the peas over the flaked fish, then pour the sauce over the top. Gently stir to combine without breaking the fish into mush.
Step 13: Smooth the surface, then nestle the quartered eggs throughout the pie.
Mashed Potato
Step 14: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, or until soft. Do this while making the sauce.
Step 15: Drain the potatoes. Add the butter, milk, salt and pepper, then mash until creamy. Add more milk if needed.
Step 16: Immediately spoon the mash onto the pie and spread it over the surface; cooled mash is harder to spread.
Step 17: Draw ridges across the potato with a fork to create a rough surface.
Tip: A rough surface makes more golden, crisp spots.
Bake
Step 18: Drizzle the surface with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Step 19: Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is deep golden.
Step 20: Let the pie stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Notes
Make-ahead and leftovers
To make the pie ahead, cook the sauce until it is about as thick as maple syrup, assemble the pie without baking, cover, and refrigerate. Bake at 180°C/350°F for around 45 minutes, until the top is deep golden.
For saucier leftovers, lift off the potato topping, drizzle milk or cream over the filling and gently mix it in. Replace the topping and reheat until hot; the topping can be sprayed with oil and baked to crisp it again.
Variations
If smoked fish is unavailable, use all unsmoked fish or prawns instead of the smoked fish, and stir 1/2 cup grated Parmesan into the sauce at the end. For a gluten-free sauce, omit the flour and whisk 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/4 of the poaching milk until smooth. Add the remaining milk to the pan, then stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook until thick.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 365 kcal
Estimated values; they will vary with the exact ingredients and brands you use.
About this recipe
Smoked and unsmoked fish, poached in milk and covered with a creamy herb sauce, make a rich filling beneath a golden mashed potato topping. Peas and optional hard-boiled eggs round out this British fish pie.
For the best balance of flavor, use a combination of smoked and unsmoked fish. The sauce should be thick before assembling the pie; it will not thicken further in the oven.
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