Fish pie, a classic British dish as you know is an absolute comfort food to have on a cold winter night. A supper that can be enjoyed by all ages… young, old, toothless or even with braces or sore tooth. Everything is so melt in the mouth kind SOOO delicious, soothing and smells heavenly.
This recipe is very forgiving and very hard to mess up so you may add more veggies if you like. More options given in notes.
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless fillets of Cod – 4 fillets cut into cubes
Jumbo shrimp (frozen) 10- 12
White onion – 1 medium chopped
Carrot- 2 medium chopped
Peas – 1 1/2 cups (frozen)
All purpose flour – 2 tbsp
Whole milk – around 2 cups- hot
English mustard paste – 2 tsp
Spring onion – one hand full chopped
Parsley leaves – few sprigs chopped
Cheddar cheese – grated – 1/2 cup
Bread crumbs – 1/2 cup
Sweet potato – 3 medium
Potato – 1 medium
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Butter – 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Wash the fish well marinate with salt and pepper.
2.Boil the sweet potato and potato just until cooked say 15 mts
I usually steam it for 15 mts
3. In a hot pan add olive oil and butter, saute the carrot and onion allow it to become half cooked move to the sides of the pan and add the all purpose flour keep it in the center and stir until a nice aroma comes and the raw flour smell is there no more, add the milk gradually, stirring constantly until the liquid is smooth n creamy and well combined with veggies (don’t pour all at once as it will form lumps)
4.Add about 1/2 cup of water (optional — add only if u don’t like the inside too dry after baking) Allow this to boil so the flour cooks well, add English mustard stir well now add the peas and the fish give it a minute so the fish is poached switch off heat.
5. Transfer the mixture into a 9 x 13 greased baking dish and spread spring onion , parsley and cheddar cheese evenly on top.
6. Mash all the potatoes roughly together add salt and pepper and a dash of butter or olive oil.
7. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the prepared mixture leaving the sides. Let there be ups and downs so this has a lot of crispy bits. Don’t press it down too much. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly on top to get a crisp top.
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 mts at 350°F. Keep a cookie sheet underneath to catch the spills as it will bubble up a bit.
The top should be crisp and inside should be bubbling when done.
That is one oozing fish pie with creamy crispy mash potato on top.
Serve fish pie warm with a nice green salad or cooked peas.
Notes:
You may add blanched or frozen spinach , blanched leeks etc in step 5.
Use a smaller baking dish if u like mounds of sweet potato in 9 x 13 pan the above given amount sinks lightly but equally good.
Instead of prawns boiled quartered egg is laid carefully without crumbling in step 5
Other fishes that can be used in fish pie are halibut, haddock, polluck / coley, salmon etc. Make sure to use fillet with no bones.
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