Recipe: Mum’s Homemade Fish Pie

It’s certainly getting chilly out there isn’t it?!

I always love something warm and filling when the weather gets like this – preferably full to the brim with carbs too! There’s something about coming home on a dark chilly evening, shedding coats, scarves and gloves and enjoying something really warm and yummy for dinner.

This fish pie is my mum’s recipe – perfectly filling and suitably indulgent (cream, butter and cheese all included in the recipe! Yum!)

So, here we go – this recipe feeds 8 – so adjust the quantities accordingly.

What You Need:

1 Deep Casserole/Pie Dish (large)
1 Frying Pan
2 Saucepans (large)
Electric Whisk (optional)

2.5kg potatoes (use the big ones, saves on peeling time!)
7 Shallots (or small onions)
100g Button mushrooms
500g Salmon Fillet
500g Smoked Haddock Fillet
750g Cod (or equivalent white fish) fillet.
2 tbsp Plain Flour
500ml Double Cream
400g Prawns (nice big ‘uns!), peeled and cooked. (can be frozen)
1 Bunch of Parsley
8 Large King Prawns
Butter (to cook with)
Far too much grated cheese….

How To Do It:

1. Peel and chop the potatoes into medium chunks and boil in a saucepan until soft. Set aside.

2. Dice the shallots/onions and gently soften in a large chunk of butter (the more the better!). When soft, add the button mushrooms and continue cooking until cooked and browning. Set aside.

3. Put the fish in a saucepan and add enough water to roughly cover the fish. Gently poach the fish (bring to the boil and then simmer) – 5 minutes-ish until just cooked. Set aside.

4. Add the plain flour to the mushroom/onion mix, place over the heat and gradually spoon in the water that the fish was poaching in until it is a gravy-like consistency. I used about 2/3rds of the water.

5. Remove the fish from the remaining water. Using your hands, gently pull the fish apart into flakes. Check for bones and remove any skin as you go. Place the fish into the casserole/pie dish. Add the 400g peeled, cooked prawns.

6. Drain the potatoes and mash. Add half the double cream and mix (if you use an electric whisk it adds volume and softens the texture, though you can just mix with a bit of elbow grease!)

7. Add the remaining 250ml double cream and the chopped bunch of parsley (finely chopped) into the gravy mix and stir. Pour over the fish and ease together – be gentle – you don’t want to end up with fish mush, don’t break the fish up!

8.  Spoon the mash onto the fish/gravy mix – start by boing around the edges to make sure the layers stay apart and it doesn’t all splodge to one end. Then fill the middle. Go over with the back of a fork and cover with mountains of grated cheese (the more the better!)

9. Place the king prawns on the top of the pie (look, they are spooning!)
You can set this aside until your guests arrive and you are ready – I do this so I can make it ahead of time 🙂

10. Put in the oven for about an hour at 180 degrees fan. (it will take less time if you make it smaller)

Enjoy!
R xx