Some days you just want comfort food, and there are not many recipes more comforting than a good fish pie. I have been making this easy peasy version of fish pie for years and it always goes down extremely well… with adults and children alike!
An easy peasy recipe for fish pie
Fish pie is classic comfort food, but it’s not always the easiest dish to make. It can be quite fiddly and time consuming… Not so with my simplified recipe! It starts with a ready prepared pack of ‘fish pie mix’ – a simple mix of diced salmon, cod and smoked haddock – which you can get from most supermarkets.
Then, all you need to do it place the fish and the milk in your oven dish and put it in the oven to lightly poach. While the fish is cooking, prepare your cheesy mashed potato, plus fry the carrots and onions. When the fish is poached, add a little of the poaching liquid to the mash, and the rest goes into the carrot/onion mix, together with some flour and parsley, to make a delicious white sauce. Finally pour the white sauce over the fish (which is still in the oven dish), top with the mash and some more cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Start to finish, this simple fish pie takes less than 45 minutes!
Why no prawns or hard boiled eggs?
You’ll notice I’ve not used prawns or hard-boiled eggs in my Easy Peasy Fish Pie recipe. The honest truth is, I don’t much like hard boiled eggs and I find prawns tend to get overcooked in a fish pie. Leaving them out also means this fish pie is much quicker and simpler to make. But if they are an essential part of fish pie for you, by all means chuck a handful of each into the pie right before you top the fish pie with the mashed potatoes.
No fish pie mix? No problem!
Using shop bought fish pie mix makes this fish pie wonderfully quick and easy to make – it saves all that fiddly and messy boning, skinning and flaking. But if you can’t find fish pie mix in your supermarket/fishmonger, then simply use a 340g (12oz) mix of any firm fleshed fish, such as salmon, haddock or cod. Ensure you remove and skin/bones, chop into big chunks and then follow the recipe as written.
What to serve with Fish Pie?
I like to serve this Easy Peasy Fish Pie very simply, with just a couple of vegetables on the side – usually some combination of green beans, cabbage, broccoli, peas and sweetcorn.
What to drink with Fish Pie?
Fish Pie goes brilliantly with Chardonnay. I recommend a lightly oaked Chardonnay from somewhere like Chile, California, New Zealand or South Africa. Another good option is Chenin Blanc – from either the Loire Valley (in France) or South Africa.
What to do with leftover Fish Pie?
Place any leftover fish pie in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days. To reheat, put the fish pie in an ovenproof dish and cover with foil. Place in an oven set to 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F) and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively, reheat in the microwave, until piping hot all the way through.
Can you freeze Fish Pie?
Yes, you can. Put the cooked and cooled Fish Pie into an airtight container and place in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
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Easy Peasy Fish Pie
Ingredients
- 750 g potatoes peeled and chopped into 2cm / ¾inch cubes
- 340 g Fish Pie Mix I use Tesco Fish Pie Mix
- 500 ml milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 large carrot (or 2 small ones), diced
- 20 g butter
- 50 g cheddar cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- Vegetables to serve - e.g. peas/sweetcorn/cabbage/broccoli/green beans
Instructions
- Put the peeled and chopped potatoes into a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring back to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F. Tip the fish pie mix into a wide, shallow ovenproof dish and pour over the milk. Season with salt and pepper and put the dish, uncovered, into the warming oven for 10 minutes.
- While the potatoes and fish are cooking, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil into another saucepan. Add in the chopped onion and carrot, cover and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes until soft but not brown. Turn off.
- When the fish has been in the oven for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside.
- When the potatoes are done, drain and mash with some salt and pepper, butter, about two thirds of the cheese and about 3 tablespoons of the fish poaching liquid.
- Turn the onions and carrots back on, uncovered, until they start to hiss. Sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of flour and stir to combine. Pour in the rest of the fish poaching milk (leave the fish in the ovenproof dish) and stir vigorously. It should quickly resemble a white sauce. Add the parsley to this mixture and turn off.
- To assemble, pour the white sauce and vegetable mixture over the fish and stir everything together. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top, using a fork to rough the surface. Pop the fish pie in the oven for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until the pie is golden brown and bubbling.
- Serve with vegetables and a glass of Chardonnay!
Notes
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Jenny Davies says
Love the sound of this! I find making fish pie a real trial with all the different processes, but I like the flavoursome additions to yours – carrot, onion, cheese in the mash and using the fish poaching milk in the mash is just genius. I shall give your method an go and see how I get on!
Eb Gargano says
I have been working on this version for years and I’m really pleased with it now. It’s really flavoursome and so easy to do. A little bit more time-consuming than most of my recipes but so worth it. Do let me know how you get on if you try it. Eb x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
I haven’t eaten fish pie for ages. You’ve just reminded me how good it is…..
Eb Gargano says
It is very good, isn’t it? Perfect comfort food! Eb x
Alison says
I love fish pie. Yours looks really tasty and quick. Using the fish poaching milk and cheese in the mash is a great idea
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Alison – the poaching milk and the cheese makes the mash taste AMAZING – I have been know to take a spoon to the pan the mash was in and have a good old ‘test’ after the fish pie has gone into the oven – quality control you understand! Eb x
Cydney says
It’s funny i made a fish pie yesterday and mine always end up so sloppy (delicious, but sloppy). So this recipe has popped up perfectly for next time. This sounds so easy, will deffo be pinning this for later 😀
Thanks for sharing!
– Cydney
#brilliantblogposts
Eb Gargano says
Well, delicious is the most important thing. 🙂 Do let me know if you try my recipe…I’d love to know how you get on 🙂 Eb x
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
I love the sound of this Eb, although I primarily eat as a vegetarian (having turned vegi over 20 years ago and living with Mr E who is a strict vegetarian), I do now very occasionally eat a small amount of chicken and fish when I’m cooking for myself (for dietary reasons) and this sounds gorgeous. I know my parents would love this too – I might suggest making this with them when I next see them. I love the forked pattern on top, it reminds me of how my mum finishes her similar dishes 🙂
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
Aw, glad you like the sound of it Angela 🙂 I’d love to know how you get on with it if you do make it with your parents 🙂 I’m a big fan of traditional rustic style cooking and generally avoiding extra faff where possible. I’ve seen lots of fish pies with beautifully piped mash and they look gorgeous but somehow a fish pie seems more right to me with something more rustic on top – that and getting out the piping bag doesn’t quite fit with the easy peasy ethos!! Glad you like it 🙂 Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
You cannot beat a good old fish pie. It is a firm favourite here. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
Exactly! Great crowd-pleaser isn’t it? My kids love it. Thanks for commenting 🙂 Eb x
Debbie says
Hi Eb, your fish pie recipe is so simple. I don’t make it often as the recipe I use is a bit faffy. Ready prepared fish pie mix sounds perfect! If only we got it here!
xx
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Debbie. I aim to make all my recipes as easy peasy as possible – I don’t believe great tasting food has to be complicated or faffy! Shame you can’t get fish pie mix, though – perhaps a kind fishmonger would make one up for you??? Thank you so much for commenting and sharing on Twitter 🙂 Eb x
Debbie says
We are lucky in the fact we can buy fresh fish straight off the little boats in the harbour, but they’d probably laugh their socks off if I asked for pie mix. Next time I’m shopping I’m going to have a good route round in the freezer, it maybe something I ‘ve just not noticed before.
xx
Eb Gargano says
Oh getting fish fresh off the boat must be AMAZING – but yes I can imagine the fishermen laughing heartily at the idea of fish pie mix 🙂 Hope you find some at the supermarket – it does make whipping up a fish pie so much quicker and less fiddly 🙂 Let me know how you get on! Eb x
shikira says
Thanks for the generous tips – really makes all the difference as to what methods you opt for. I always aim to cook from scratch, yet those who are parents/work long hours ect, ideal that they can buy ‘instant mash’ for instance. I don’t have children nor work yet love the idea of comfort food that is affordable to my low-budget yet simultaneously nutritional and very TASTE-TASTIC!.
For this gorgeous recipe I had to go without onions and peas. only had frozen Carrots and Green Beans. No Creme-Fresh, just (packets) cheese sauce. Followed your fabulous instructions, with some tweaks here:
I add hot Paprika spice, all-ground spice and some cloves to the fish whilst cooking in milk – my partner doesn’t like any fish (apart from Cod), no sea-foods apart from this, so buy supermarket (basics fillet fish) for £2.50 – you get 7/8 fish in a frozen pack that taste barely of anything overwhelmingly fishy…..where the spices make all the difference and cheese sauce.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Shikira! Love your tweaks – so happy you enjoyed it!! Eb 🙂
Jan says
Having actually cooked this tonight, and followed the recipe to the letter, i’m Sorry to report it came out runny (though tasty). Not sure what to tweak next time – more flour or less milk?
Eb Gargano says
Oh, I am sorry Jan. I can’t understand what went wrong here as, if anything, I suffer from the opposite problem! I guess small variations in flour/potatoes/different pan sizes etc. are to blame! I would definitely suggest you reduce the milk slightly (maybe 350- 400ml, depending on quite how runny this turned out for you) and that will almost certainly improve matters. I’m glad to hear it was still tasty – hopefully it will be just the right consistency second time round too – let me know how you get on! Eb 🙂
Alexleigh says
This looks like a brilliant easy way of making fish pie thankyou so much for sharing this am making it tonight so I hope it’s as good as it looks x
Eb Gargano says
Yay – so happy you like the recipe. Let me know how it goes! Eb 🙂
ashok says
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay – so pleased you liked it 😀 Thanks for this lovely review! Eb 🙂
Jack Hay says
Looks a lovely recipe and simplifies the process. We love fish pie and use cut up spring onions instead of carrots. Also halve prawns down the middle and lay over the fish. May I suggest a sprinkle of paprika over the grated cheese before baking to give it a lovely rustic look.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks so much for this lovely review, Jack – I love the sound of your adaptations! Eb 🙂
Jack says
Another version, for those on watching their weight, is to use your excellent recipe for cauliflower rice and use this instead of mach potato. Works really well and vegetable included!
Eb Gargano says
Oh wow – what a brilliant suggestion! I love that idea 😀
Geoffrey Corner says
As an 80 year old Englishman (living in the USA for 42 years) I fondly remember fish pie. I love to cook (and eat) so I tried this recipe.
It was absolutely delicious!!
I had to use cod as the fish and the only other difference was I added a scotch bonnet pepper as I do to most of my dishes.
Thank you so much for this and so many other great recipes… Geoff
Eb Gargano says
Aw, I am so happy to hear this! I’m glad it brought back happy food memories 😀