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Luxury Fish Pie in a dish with a part of the filling exposed.
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Luxury Fish Pie

Luxury Fish Pie is easy to make for a special dinner or supper. A creamy sauce contains an assortment of fish and seafood topped with a layer of grated potato rösti.
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: British
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

Ingredients

For the pie:

  • 250 ml milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 500 g fish fillets, e.g. salmon and haddock
  • 400 g mixed raw seafood, fresh or frozen
  • 60 g butter
  • 60 g plain/all-purpose flour
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 150 g creme fraiche
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (15ml)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (15ml)
  • 6 small cornichons or gherkins
  • Salt and pepper

For the potato topping:

  • 750 g non-floury potatoes e.g. Desiree
  • 60 g strong Cheddar cheese
  • 40 g butter

Equipment

1.75-litre pie dish
Grater

Instructions

Preparation:

  • Scrub the potatoes and cut larger ones to the size of the smaller ones
  • Steam for 15 minutes OR Barely cover with water and boil for 10 minutes. The potatoes will be half-cooked. Drain and wrap in a clean tea-towel
  • Butter the baking dish
  • Grate the cheese
  • Chop the cornichons into ½cm slices. Chop the herbs
  • Melt 40g butter for the topping
  • Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C fan/ gas mark 7/ 425°F

Make the sauce:

  • Heat the milk in a large saucepan with the bay leaf. Gently cook the fish (but NOT the seafood) in the milk on a LOW heat for 5 minutes
    Watch the milk! It will boil over if the heat is too high
  • Move the pieces of fish to a plate. Strain the liquid. Keep it - you will use it in the sauce
  • Rinse out the saucepan and add 60g butter for the sauce. Heat on a MEDIUM heat until melted. Add the flour, mix and cook for 1 minute
  • Gradually add the milk, beating it in so that you have a smooth sauce. Add the wine gradually, then beat vigorously to combine
  • Beat in the creme fraiche, parsley, and dill, and stir in the cornichons. Add salt and pepper until it tastes right, and remove from the heat

Make the potato topping:

  • Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of the grater into a bowl. Remove the skins first if you want - or if they're thick
  • Add the melted butter and mix in well so that all the potato is coated with butter
    Easiest with 2 forks so it doesn't clump

Assemble the Luxury Fish Pie:

  • Take the skin off the fish and divide into large-ish chunks
  • Put the fish into the sauce and mix gently. Add the raw, defrosted seafood and mix in carefully
  • Pour the sauce into the baking dish. Top with the potatoes and even out. Sprinkle with grated cheese
  • Cook for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.

Notes

Everyday Cooks Tips:

Ingredients:
  • Potatoes - Floury potatoes will lose their shape when cooked, so won't work as well for the rosti topping. They'll still taste fine, but it will be more like mashed potato
  • White sauce - If you're unsure how to make a white sauce, click here for step-by-step instructions to make a similar sauce (which uses all milk but the method is the same).
Make ahead:
  1. If you're cooking the pie later, wait until the sauce is cool before adding the cooled fish and seafood
    • Put the lid on the saucepan while it cools to avoid a skin forming
    • Don't let the sauce get too cold because it thickens as it cools and the fish won't mix in
  2. Add the topping
  3. Loosely cover with clingfilm and refrigerate until you are ready to cook
  4. Add 10 minutes to the cooking time