fish pie - merged threads

legio11

fantastic thank you will be doing this tomorrow xx

Stephen_Leak

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
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.

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

You can use a packet of white or parsley sauce mix according to the instructions on the packet, but make it up with 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. Use kippers, which are smoked mackerel fillets.

Queen-Bee_2

Hello - I make a mean and very simple fish-pie using those frozen white fish/cod fillets from Mr S. They look like bricks in the freezer cos the fillet stakes are rectangular!

Ingredients:
- White frozen fish fillets (suggest 2x for each adult, less for children)
- Onions, chopped finesly (suggest 1/2 onion for each adult)
- Mashed potato (as much as you want to spread over the fish/onion base)
- Sliced tomotoes and sprinkle of dried parsely to decorate the top

Basically, you can thaw and cook the fillets very easily in the microwave - the instructions on how to do this are printed on the back of the plastic wrapper.

Once cooked, drain off the excess water, flake the fish with a fork into a greased ovenproof dish and season generously with salt & pepper.

In a separate frying pan, fry the chopped onion until golden. Should take around 5x mins.

Add the onions to the cooked, seasoned fish. Top with as much mashed potato as you want, decorate the top with a few sliced tomatoes if you like and bung in the oven on a medium/high heat until hot. Usually around 30 mins.

Serve with peas.

I know this version doesn't use white sauce or anything, but it is the way my mother used to make it (although she used fresh fish and didn't have a micro-wave) and it tastes lovely!

Enjoy!!!!

LittleBit_2

Can someone help a beginner please?

I want to make a fish pie tonight. I have some haddock and some salmon. I know I need to make a white sauce with flour and milk, do I cook the fish in the sauce? Also, how long do I cook it for? And do I boil it, or fry it?
Once the fish is cooked can I just chuck it in the oven with eggs and veg, and then put mash and cheese on the top?

Thanks

Pink.

Hi littlebit,

Gently poach the fish in milk. Once cooked, remove the fish with a slotted spoon and set aside. Then use the milk to make your white sauce as you normally would (I usually add grated cheese to the white sauce). Put the drained fish into an oven-proof dish. Add your hard boiled eggs and veg, then pour over the sauce. Top with mashed potato and put into a moderate oven (180) until the pie is cooked and the mash is beginning to brown.

Pink

LittleBit_2

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi littlebit,

Gently poach the fish in milk. Once cooked, remove the fish with a slotted spoon and set aside. Then use the milk to make your white sauce as you normally would (I usually add grated cheese to the white sauce). Put the drained fish into an oven-proof dish. Add your hard boiled eggs and veg, then pour over the sauce. Top with mashed potato and put into a moderate oven (180) until the pie is cooked and the mash is beginning to brown.

Pink

I don't know what poaching is Does that mean put it in a frying pan on a low heat with the milk??

Thanks

L.L_2

I always use jamie olivers recipe as a guide as no poaching required first!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/fish-pie

Pink.

LittleBit wrote: »

I don't know what poaching is Does that mean put it in a frying pan on a low heat with the milk??

Thanks

Sorry. Put the fish into a pan, add milk to cover it and heat gently over a low to medium heat until the fish is cooked...ie it becomes opaque and is firm to touch.

Pink

sweetserendipity

L.L wrote: »

I always use jamie olivers recipe as a guide as no poaching required first!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/fish-pie

Oooh, seconded!! This is a gorgeous fish pie & so easy!!

I don't bother with the lemon & use chilli powder, rather than fresh. I also mix creme fraiche (as suggested by JO) into the fish/grated veg & cheese mix before adding the mashed potato on top (or mashed cauli if I'm doing low-carb :rolleyes:) - it gives the pie a lovely creamy texture. Yum yum!!

Pink.

L.L wrote: »

I always use jamie olivers recipe as a guide as no poaching required first!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/fish-pie

Personally I don't like Jamie Oliver's method because I prefer white sauce in the pie, and if the fish is not pre-cooked the resulting liquid released can make the sauce very watery. That's why I always poach the fish and drain it first. I suppose it's down to personal choice really.

Pink