How to Make this Deliciously Creamy Fish Pie
There's a reason it's a classic!
- For the topping
- 1.5kg floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Splash of milk
- 75g Cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- For the filling
- 50g unsalted butter, plus a little extra for frying
- 50g plain flour
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 350ml quality fish stock
- 350ml semi-skimmed milk
- 1 heaped tsp English mustard
- 50g cheddar cheese
- Half a lemon
- A few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 200g skinless, boneless haddock or cod, 150g skinless boneless salmon, 150g skinless, boneless, undyed smoked haddock OR 600g fish pie mix
- 200g large raw prawns
- 200g round shallots, peeled and halved
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200g baby spinach
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Peel the potatoes and cut into two-centimetre chunks, then boil for around 15 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat and stir in the flour. Add the bay leaves and then gradually add the stock and the milk, stirring after every addition until the sauce is smooth and silky. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until thickened.
Drain the potatoes well and leave to air dry.
Stir the mustard into the sauce, grate in half the cheese and then squeeze in the lemon juice. Pick, finely chop and stir in the parsley, then keep stirring until the cheese is melted. Season with a little salt and black pepper, then remove from the heat.
Check that there aren’t any stray bones in the fish fillets, then slice into two-and-a-half-centimetre chunks and spread them evenly over the base of a 25cm x 30cm baking dish alongside the prawns.
Fry the shallots in a little butter until golden, then add the spinach to wilt. Add to the dish on top of the fish.
Remove the bay leaves, then pour over the white sauce and allow to cool slightly.
Mash the potatoes with a little extra virgin olive oil, a splash of milk, 50g of the cheddar cheese and seasoning. Spoon over the pie and scuff up the surface with a fork.
Grate the remaining cheddar over the top and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through, the sauce is bubbling up at the sides and the top is golden.
