Easy Fish Pie with Potato Topping

My easy fish pie with potato topping is a classic fish pie recipe. I use a combination of salmon, and both haddock and smoked haddock in the pie, encasing it in a creamy vegetable sauce and topping with fluffy mashed potatoes. This is the perfect bowl of comfort food!

I've been making this fish pie for years, and its the best fish pie recipe ever! Fish pie is a mid week stable in our house, the fish we use in the pie varies depending on what is available in the supermarket and what I have in my freezer.

Many people are afraid of cooking fish, their fear of over-cooking the fish putting them off. This is a real pity as fish is so versatile and a fantastic source of protein.

When it comes to fish pie I tend to keep things simple. I like to use a white fish and a smoked fish, cutting the fillets into large chunks. I often add some prawns to the mix too. However, use the fish you have available to you and what you and your family enjoy eating.

Why you'll love this recipe

• The perfect bowl of comfort food soft, flavourful fish coated in a rich and velvety cream sauce with lots of added vegetables.
• A great make ahead dish, make the fish pie earlier in the day or the night before, ready to bake in the oven when ready to enjoy.
• An easy cook as hands on prep time is minimal.

Recipe ingredients

• Potatoes: I top the pie with mashed potatoes. Use a good mashing potato, something like a Maris Piper, King Edward or Rooster potato (a Russet is a good option if you are in the US). Don't use a waxy potato like a Charlotte as they don't mash well and can be gluey.
• Butter: I used salted butter both in the mashed potatoes and also to sauté the vegetables for the sauce.
• Crème fraiche: I like to add a spoon of crème fraiche to the mashed potatoes as it add both creaminess and also a touch of acidity. You could use double cream (heavy cream) if you prefer.
• Base vegetables: I used a regular onion, a leek and some diced carrots to form the base flavours for the sauce.
• Garden peas (green peas): I like to add garden peas to the pie sauce, I always use frozen and put them straight into the pan from the freezer, they will defrost as they cook.
• Parsley: a handful of chopped parsley leaves adds a burst of herbal freshness to the sauce, and parsley is a great herb for pairing with fish.
• Cream: I finish the sauce with double cream (heavy cream) which gives the sauce a rich and velvety texture.
• Fish: to make this pie I used equal quantities of salmon, haddock and smoked haddock.
• Seasoning: I used sea salt & black pepper to season the mashed potatoes and the sauce, I seasoned both to taste.

How to make an easy fish pie

• Peel the potatoes and place in a pan of salted boiling water. Simmer gently for 15-20 until the potatoes are cooked. Drain, and set aside to steam dry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 50g of butter to the potatoes, mash to smooth. Stir through the crème fraiche and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
• While the potatoes are cooking, add the remining butter to a frying pan and place over medium heat to melt. Add the onion, leek and carrot and cook gently for 15 minutes, taking care to soften the vegetables but not colour them.
• Add in the frozen peas and cook for a further 2 minutes.

• Now add the parsley and the double cream to the pan, stir to combine and season to taste. Take off the heat and set aside till later.

• Place the fish pieces on the bottom of a large oven-proof dish (or 4 smaller dishes if serving individual portions).
• Pour the creamy vegetable sauce over the top of the fish, taking care to cover the entire dish.
• Carefully spoon over the mashed potato and spread it across the fish and sauce.

• Use a fork to gently push the potato into all corners of the dish, do not press down too hard, but ensure the fish is completely covered.
• Place in a pre-heated oven at 200C/180CFan/390F for 35-40 minutes if using one large pie dish (see tip below if using individual dishes). Once cooked serve immediately.

TOP TIP: If cooking in smaller individual dishes, rather than one large dish, cut back the cooking time to 20-25 minutes so that the fish doesn't overcook!

Recipe variations

• Fish - use any variety or combination of fish and seafood in this recipe, as long as the total amount of fish used adds up to 600g/1.3lb of fish. You could try hake, cod, pollock (coley), or prawns. Use the fish that you like to eat.
• Frozen fish - I've used both fresh and frozen fish in this recipe and both work equally well.
• Onion and leek - are the base flavours for the sauce, you could substitute with red onion or shallot if your prefer.
• Vegetables - add any combination of vegetables to the pie sauce, try sweetcorn (canned or frozen), broccoli, kale, and handful of spinach.
• Fresh herbs - parsley is my go to herb when it comes to fish, it's the perfect flavour pairing and really freshens up the sauce. You could also substitute with fresh chives or some thyme leaves.
• Double cream - I like to use double cream (heavy cream) as it is thicker, so that when the fish cooks and releases its juices, the pie filling doesn't become watery. You could substitute with crème fraiche or sour cream. You could also use single cream (half and half), just be aware you will have a looser sauce.
• Mashed potato - swap regular potatoes for sweet potato mash.
• Flavour the mash potato - by adding a spoon of Dijon mustard or melting through some mature cheddar cheese. Both these flavours work well as a pie topping.

Serving suggestions

Packed full of fish, veggies and with a mashed potato topping, this pie is best served on it's own with a few simple sides. I like to add either a simply dressed salad or some steamed vegetables, for example:

• Vegetables - sugar snap peas, mange tout, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower
• Leafy greens - try spinach, kale, cabbage or spring greens

Useful hints and tips

1. Cut the fish into large chucks (around 2.5cm/1" cubes) as you want the fish to hold it's shape when added to the pie filling. Smaller pieces of fish overcook quicker and tend to dry out.
2. If using frozen fish no problem, just be aware that frozen fish can hold a little more water than fresh which can lead to a looser sauce. If time allows you could defrost the fish and place it on some kitchen paper to drain off some of the excess water before adding the fish to the pie.
3. When making the mashed potato topping take your time to properly mash the potato as nobody will thank you for lumpy mash.
4. Avoid a watery sauce! When the fish starts to cook, it will release it's juices into the sauce. By limiting how much liquid you start with, you avoid having a watery fish pie. Some recipes also add stock or a splash of white wine. You can of course do this, just make sure you reduce it a little before adding the cream, otherwise your sauce will be too runny.
5. If you want to get ahead, prepare the fish pie then cool and cover, before storing in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook in the oven.
6. Allergy advice: this recipe is gluten free; egg free and nut free. For further advice check Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you enjoyed this easy fish pie and want to add more fish into your diet then why not try some of these great tasting recipes:

• Oven Baked Salmon with Parma Ham
• Smoked Salmon Pasta
• BBQ Devilled Mackerel
• Hake with a Lemon Cous Cous
• Simple Smoked Haddock Kedgeree
• Omelette Arnold Bennett

Looking for inspiration for feeding the family mid week, then take a look at my Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners, which is full of useful hints, tips and recipe suggestions.