fish pie - merged threads

Pretani

If you're going to use the oven to brown the potatoe, don't cook the fish before adding to the casserole, as the fish tends to break up into a mush.


Defrost the fish, set aside.

boil some eggs and cut into slices.

add the raw fish to the casserole and add the sliced egg on top.

heat the sauce and pour over the fish and egg.

add mash potatoes and cook for 20 mins or untill potatoe is brown. cook for longer if potatoes and sauce are cool.

Pretani

....also, a bit of smoked fish works wonders too.

*Maya*

Pretani wrote: »

add the raw fish to the casserole and add the sliced egg on top.

If you add raw fish to the casserole the sauce will be be wet and sloppy because the fish releases water when it cooks. Better to poach the fish in milk and use the milk to make the sauce.

scuba_girl

I agree with Maya and Greenbee, I would poach the fish in the milk first.

There is a really good recipe on BBC Recipe Finder for Creamy Fish pie. I usually don't add the smoked fish, but the recipe is great and really easy to make.

I'm not sure if I am allowed to post links or not - otherwise would post a link to the recipe.

Stephen_Leak

Try this one. Basically, make poached fish, white sauce & mashed potato, then combine the three.

FISH PIE

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

375g of old potatoes*
1 onion
250ml of water
¼ of a teaspoon of salt
250ml of milk
350g of white fish**
2 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
½ a tablespoon of parsley
Salt and ground pepper to taste
½ a tablespoon of butter
½ a tablespoon of milk
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Peel the potatoes and chop them into quarters. Peel the onion and chop it into tiny pieces.

Put the water and salt into a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the potatoes. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Put the lid on the saucepan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until soft. Check the water level from time to time and top up if it starts to dry out.

While the potatoes are cooking, put the 250ml of milk, fish and onion into a frying pan on a medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes until the fish is firm and opaque.

Strain the milk through a sieve or colander into a bowl. Put the fish and onion onto a plate. Break the fish into small pieces. Throw away the skin and bones.

Drain the potatoes and mash with the ½ a tablespoon of butter and the ½ a tablespoon of milk until it is smooth and lump free. Season with the pepper.

Put the 2 tablespoons of butter into the saucepan the fish was cooked in on a medium heat. Melt the butter. Add the flour and cook for a minute, stirring all the time. Take off the heat. Add the milk the fish was cooked in a bit at a time. Stir each time to make sure it is smooth. When all the milk has been added, put the pan back on the heat. Bring to the boil. Keep stirring. Turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.

Add the fish, onions and parsley and stir. Season with the pepper.

Put the fish mixture into an ovenproof dish. Level off the surface. Put the mashed potato on top. Spread to cover the fish mixture. Make artistic swirls in the mashed potato. This increases the surface area and makes the top crisper.

Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6 for about 30 minutes until golden on top.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Use a packet of white or parsley sauce mix according to the instructions on the packet, but substitute some of the liquid for the milk the fish was cooked in.

Use 100g of cooked prawns instead of 100g of the fish and add them to the fish mixture when you assemble the pie. Add a chopped hard-boiled egg to the fish mixture when you assemble the pie.

Sprinkle 50g of grated Cheddar cheese on top of the potato, or even into it as it being mashed.

TIPS

The trick with the sauce is to keep stirring.

* New potatoes make rubbish mashed potato. Use old ones like King Edward’s or Desiree Reds.

** Use cod, coley, haddock, hake, ling, plaice, pollack or whiting fillets. Use smoked and/or dyed fish, because smoked fish tastes nice and dyed fish looks pretty.

PS. Try this with kippers!

Pretani

*Maya* wrote: »

If you add raw fish to the casserole the sauce will be be wet and sloppy because the fish releases water when it cooks. Better to poach the fish in milk and use the milk to make the sauce.

I make my sauce really thick.

The only reason I like using the raw fish is because it stops it over cooking, especially if you are using a soft flakey fish.

skintlass

I do a cheats version - put fish in casserole dish (frozen is fine). Squeeze over lime juice, add creme fraiche to cover fish. Top with some capers then whiz up brown bread with coriander and ginger, mix with grated cheddar and top the pie with this (sometimes I add extra cheese with the creme fraiche). Bung in the oven. This takes much longer to cook with frozen fish but is still lovely.

ELIZA_D

What a success. following the advice on here i poached the fish in milk i mashed carrot and added that t o the fish. i used the milk to make a white sauce and added cheese to the mash.
Flavour was brilliant (used 1 piece of smoked fish ) which am glad about as no seasoning onions garlic etc)
cheers ! x

legio11

for my darling son aged 2 i was thinking of getting some of the sainsburys basic frozen fish but have no idea what to do with it lol

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Cook spuds in pan of water. Steam fish above or gently simmer in milk for white sauce. Make white sauce (or open packet). Break cooked fish into bits, stir into white sauce, with frozen peas, sweetcorn, frozen shelled peeled prawns, etc. Put in ovenproof dish and top with mash. Bake until looks yummy. Enjoy.