For those after a comfort food recipe, but want to cook a dish that feels just a tad lighter, consider the fish pie.
Also known as a fisherman’s pie, this one-pot supper dish is both easy to prepare and gives impressive results that make it dinner party-worthy.
The filling typically calls for using a combination of fish, such as haddock, cod, salmon, and prawns.
This easy fish pie recipe from restaurateur Mitch Tonks uses a combination of cod, haddock and prawns in its filling.
Mitch described the dish as an “easy fish pie recipe that has bags of flavour from the smoked haddock, prawns and cod” and claimed that it’s the “perfect comfort dinner”.
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes
1kg potatoes, cut into 5cm chunks
50g butter
100g creme fraiche
Three tablespoons warm milk
Salt and pepper
For the filling
500g milk
250g smoked haddock
200g cod loin
One onion
One bay leaf
Three garlic cloves (optional)
Two leeks, washed and chopped
50g butter, plus 25g for dotting on top of the pie
One tablespoon olive oil
Three tablespoons plain flour
100g raw king prawns
50g frozen peas
One tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
One unwaxed lemon, finely grated set only
Method
Start by preheating the oven to 190C/170Fan/Gas 5 before putting her potatoes on to boil until tender.
Drain and mash the cooked potatoes with the butter, creme fraiche and warm milk before seasoning with salt and pepper. Then set it aside somewhere warm.
For those looking for the best way to make the smoothest and creamiest mash, Express.co.uk have previously tested out a Michelin-trained chef’s “ultimate” recipe – and it was impressive.
The next step is to heat the milk in a large pan and add the smoked haddock and cod. Cut the onion in half, make an incision in one of the halves and insert the bay leaf. Push the cloves into the same onion half and place this into the pan with the milk and fish. Bring the milk to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for six to seven minutes.
While the milk is simmering, finely chop the remaining onion half and the leeks. Heat the butter with the olive oil in a small frying pan and gently fry the onion and leeks for four to five minutes, until softened but not browned.
Remove the fish from the pan, and set aside to cool slightly, but keep the milk in the pan.
Next, add the flour to the leeks and stir well. Fry this for one minute, making sure to stir frequently. Gradually spoon in the milk from poaching the fish, and stir it in well each time. Add all the milk in this way, and heat gently until the sauce has thickened.
After, break the fish into chunks, being careful to feel for any bones and remove any skin, then fold the fish pieces into the sauce. Next, add the raw prawns and frozen peas to the mixture.
Place an ovenproof dish onto a baking tray (this will catch any of the mix that bubbles over when cooking) and spoon the fish mixture into the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the parsley and lemon zest over the top.
Finish up by topping it with the cooled mashed potato. Use a fork to spread the mash over the pie and create a rough texture on top. Dot the pie with the remaining half of the butter and place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.
Fish pie is best eaten when freshly cooked as the texture of the fish will deteriorate a little when reheated, but any leftovers can be refrigerated and eaten the next day.
