When I was a little kid I spent years an inordinate number of years ordering off the ‘kids menu’, usually compiled of fries and some type of ‘chicken’ or other heavily processed meat. Until one night, in France when I had just hit puberty, I saw a very dainty French lady daintily deconstruction a whole trout.
Give me the whole damned fish
I ordered the same and copied her every move and then spent years ordering whatever fish was on the menu. Needless to say I got very excited when I discovered the UK not only had fish cakes, but also fish pie! Fish in a creamy sauce, topped with mashed potatoes? I’m in!
Of course I’ve matured a little since then and now order whatever tickles my pickle. In the mean time fish pie has become one of my favorite winter warmers. It’s carby, creamy and fishy and you can slap it together in endless variations.
It’s important to keep in mind virtually all the ingredients for the filling in my recipe are optional. Just make sure to switch them out for equal quantities if you do.
A word on prawns
I used to make this dish with prawns, but there are a lot of problems with how prawns are farmed. Prawn farming produces huge quantities of greenhouse gases and support abusive labor practices. So check where your prawns are from and how they are produced or omit them al together.
Super easy classic British fish pie for two
Equipment
- Pot
- Oven proof dish
- Oven
- Small saucepan
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 6 large potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 T - 15 gr butter
- 1 T - 15 gr plain flour
- 1/2 c - 120 ml white wine
- 1 c - 250 ml milk or cream
- 1 c - 125 gr cheese grated, I like a mixture of Parmesan and Dutch demi-mature cheese
- 1 filet fish of choice, cut into bite sized chunks, I prefer salmon
- 1 c - 150 gr mussels optional, frozen or fresh
- 1/2 c - 75 gr baby carrots roughly chopped
- 1/2 c - 75 gr peas or other firm bite size green, fresh or frozen
- 1 small bunch parsley finely chopped
- 1 T - 15 gr unsalted butter
- splash milk
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200° C/ 400° F.
- Cook 6 peeled and cut potatoes for 15 minutes in a large pot in ample salted water until tender.
Make the sauce
- In the mean time, to make the sauce: melt 1 T - 15 gr of butter in a small saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add 1 T - 15 gr of plain flour and stir vigorously until the butter and flour have come together and start letting go of the bottom of the pan. This should take 2-4 minutes or so.
- Keep stirring as you add in 1/2 c - 120 ml wine and 1 c - 250 ml of milk. Now keep stirring on a medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken, before adding 1 c - 125 gr of grated cheese and stir until fully melted.
- Finish the sauce by seasoning it with pepper and salt, tasting until the sauce is seasoned to your liking, and set aside as you assemble your fish pie.
Assemble the pie
- Take an oven proof dish and scatter around the 1 filet of fish in chunks, 1 c - 150 gr of mussels, 1/2 c - 75 gr of baby carrots, 1/2 c - 75 gr of greens and finely chopped bunch of parsley, or whatever you're using. You want to distribute everything evenly so no matter where you stick your spoon you will get a good mix of things in the end.
- Poor the sauce over the fish and veg.
- Mash the cooked potatoes to your favored consistency with another 1 T - 15 gr of butter, a splash of milk and plenty of pepper and salt. Taste until the mash is to your liking and then spread the mash out across the fish. You can be slap dash or pretty with it, whatever works for you.
- Finish your fish pie by baking it in your preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the top is nice and golden brown and the sauce is oozing out and aggressively bubbling up the side.
Notes
How long does the fish pie keep?
If you eat half of this dish one day, cover the oven dish and store it in the fridge and then reheat it in the oven at 175° C/ 350° F for 10-15 minutes or so the next, that's fine. It won't keep for much longer and is not suitable for freezing.A note on prawns
There are a lot of problems with how prawns are farmed. Prawn farming produces huge quantities of greenhouse gases and support abusive labor practices. So check where your prawn are from and how they are produced or omit them al together.