It's Also Known as Fisherman's Pie for a Reason
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Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 02/22/24
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Tested byDiana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 baking dish
184 ratings
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If you love the comfort of classic British dishes like shepherd's pie or beef and Guinness pie, but want a dish that feels just a tad lighter, consider the fish pie. Also known as a fisherman's pie, this one-pot supper dish that is both easy to prepare and economical to cook with impressive results that make it dinner party-worthy.
British Fish Pie: Comfort on a Budget
The filling calls for using a combination of fish, so feel free to go with whatever you have on hand, or ask your fishmonger for a selection of fish scraps (usually, they will charge you less than the market price).
The fish is poached in a fish stock-milk mixture, combined with cooked leeks and parsley, then topped with a fluffy layer of mashed potatoes before baking until golden brown. Sprinkle on grated cheese for added richness. Serve the fish pie with peas or other fresh greens for a complete meal.
Tips for Making the Best Fish Pie
- It's best to use fresh, seasonal fish whenever possible, but frozen is fine as long as you defrost it first. Using fish that isn't properly defrosted can lead to a watery fish pie.
- Choose non-oily, fleshy fish such as salmon, cod, smoked haddock, and coley (aka pollock), which is similar to cod.
- Either buy one type of fish or mix different fish, even shrimp or prawns, together.
- Bake the pie in a 2-quart to 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
- A homemade fish stock will give you the best flavor, but if you're in a time crunch, store-bought seafood stock works, too.
- This is a great dish for using up leftover mashed potatoes!
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What Wine Goes With British Fish Pie?
Choose a smooth, dry white wine. Unoaked chardonnay, chenin blanc, pinot gris, and sauvignon blanc are all good options. If you prefer a red wine, choose pinot noir or Beaujolais.
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What You'll Need to Make This Fish Pie Recipe
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"The fish pie was an easy preparation. All you need is some prepared mashed potatoes and the fish and sauce filling. My fish broth had some salt, so I only added about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Very tasty and made a nice meal with a salad." —Diana Rattray
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A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
1 cup fish stock
1 cup milk
12 ouncesfish, skin and bones removed, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 bay leaf
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 medium leek, white part only, washed thoroughly and finely sliced
2 ounces all purpose flour (a little less than 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt, to taste
Dash ground black pepper, or to taste
5 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (warm and creamy)
A handful of grated cheddar cheese, optional
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 355 F/180 C.
Pour the fish stock and milk into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
Add the fish pieces and bay leaf and poach for 5 minutes.
Remove the fish pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve the liquid in the pot.
Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced leek and cook for 5 minutes until the leek is soft.
While still hot, add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.
Pour the fish poaching liquidinto the pan and stir again. Raise the temperature and cook for 3 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and add the poached fish and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the fish mixture into an ovenproof dish. Cover with a thick layer of mashed potatoes and fluff themup with a fork. For a more professional look, you can pipe the mashed potatoes using a piping bagwith a large nozzle.
Sprinkle with the grated cheese if using.
Put the dish on a baking sheet and cook in the centerof the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling beneath the potatoes. Serve immediately and enjoy.
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Recipe Variations
- Give the pie a little crunch with a final sprinkling of crushed potato chips or panko crumbs.
- Add extra flavor to the sauce with some chopped fresh dill or chives, or add a grating of nutmeg.
- Boiled eggs are often added to fish pie. Chop 3 or 4 peeled, hard-boiled. Sprinkle the chopped eggs over the sauce mixture just before topping with the mashed potatoes.
- A bit of wine can add complex flavor to the sauce. Just before adding the poaching liquid to the leek mixture, add about 1/3 cup of dry white wine.
How to Store and Freeze
- Refrigerate leftover fish pie in a covered container for up to 3 days.
- The whole pie or leftover pie may be frozen in the baking dish or another container. To freeze the pie, cover the baking dish or container tightly with foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Defrost the frozen fish pie in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the pie with foil and bake it in a preheated 375 F oven for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 638 | Calories |
| 28g | Fat |
| 65g | Carbs |
| 33g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 638 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 28g | 36% |
| Saturated Fat 11g | 55% |
| Cholesterol 87mg | 29% |
| Sodium 1280mg | 56% |
| Total Carbohydrate 65g | 24% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 18% |
| Total Sugars 8g | |
| Protein 33g | |
| Vitamin C 33mg | 165% |
| Calcium 164mg | 13% |
| Iron 2mg | 14% |
| Potassium 1485mg | 32% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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