Creamy Fish Pie – Donal Skehan

Fish pie is a classic British savory baked dish traditionally made with chunks of fish and vegetables mixed into a creamy white sauce, then topped with mashed potatoes and shredded cheese. There are many varieties of the dish depending on the region where it is prepared or the cook who prepared it. The most common preparation of fish pie has smoked fish which adds richness and a depth of flavor to the dish. It is a nutritious one-pot dish that both kids and adults love.

With this easy-to-prepare creamy fish pie recipe, you’ll be able to serve your family a complete, hearty, nutritious, delicious, and comforting meal for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

This recipe takes about 70 minutes to make. Serves 6 to 8.

• 300 grams of smoked haddock, cut into chunks
• 300 grams of cod fillets, cut into chunks
• 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 200 grams of Pilgrims Choice cheese crumbles

Mashed Potato Topping:
• 900 grams of potatoes, peeled and diced
• 6 cups of water
• ½ tbsp salt
• 50 milliliters of milk
• 50 grams of butter
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp grand black pepper

White Sauce:
• 75 grams of butter
• 75 grams of plain flour
• 500 milliliters of warm milk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp grand black pepper

Sautéed Veggies:
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 3 celery sticks, finely chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp grand black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Put potatoes, water, and salt in a large pot and boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer to cook the potatoes for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
Drain the potatoes and put them back in the pot.
Cover the pot with a lid and set aside.
To make the white sauce, melt butter in a saucepot over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour until you get a smooth paste.
Gradually pour the warm milk into the pot.
Simmer for 2 minutes while whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
Remove the pot from the heat.
Stir in Dijon mustard, then season with salt and pepper.
Set the white sauce aside while you cook the vegetables.
Heat sunflower oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add garlic, carrots, and celery.
Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Mix the sautéed vegetables, fish cubes, and chopped spring onions into the white sauce.
Transfer to a large baking dish or casserole and set aside.
Pour the milk over the boiled potatoes, then add butter.
Mash until you get a smooth and creamy texture.
Add chopped spring onions, salt, and pepper and mix well.
Spread the potato mash on top of the fish mixture.
Sprinkle cheese crumbles on top.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Ideas And Tips:

If you can’t find Pilgrims Choice cheese crumbles, you may use a mixture of 100 grams of grated cheddar cheese, 100 grams of seasoned breadcrumbs and 50 grams of melted butter.

If you don’t have smoked haddock, you can use any hot-smoked, uncured flaky fish to get the same flavor and texture.

Aside from cod, you can use whiting, halibut, pollock, sea bass, hake, mahi-mahi, flounder or grouper. You can also add shrimps or mussels.

You can also add sweet corn kernels and peas.

You can make mini fish pies for single-serving portions. Assemble the fish pies in ramekins and reduce the cooking time to 25 minutes.

You can assemble the fish pie ahead of time and cover the dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can store it in the freezer for up to a week. Thaw the fish pie in the fridge overnight before baking.

images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57KebOD_DEA