Fish pie

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C, then place the peeled and chopped potatoes into a pan and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then let simmer for 15 minutes.

When the potatoes are fork soft, drain and mash with a potato masher. Then add half of the butter, all of the double cream and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Place this to one side.

Add the milk to a large saucepan, then add the salmon and cod fillets. Bring this to the boil and let simmer for 3 minutes. The fish should start to flake apart at this stage. Transfer the fish to a large baking dish, leaving the milk in the pan. Take care to remove the skin from the fish, if not already skinless.

Melt the rest of the butter in a pan, and then stir in the plain flour over a medium heat and mix continuously with a wooden spoon. Slowly add in the reserved milk that was used to cook the fish, whilst whisking in gently. After 2-3 minutes the sauce will begin to thicken.

Remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in half of the grated cheddar cheese. Then pour the sauce over the fish mixture in the large baking dish.

Dollop the mashed potato over the top of the fish mix. Once fully covered use a fork to spread it out evenly and give the potatoes a lined pattern which helps to crisp up the top.

Top the pie with the remaining cheddar cheese and place into the oven for 18-20 minutes. Keep an eye on the pie and make sure the cheese is all melted and golden before removing.

Serve warm and garnish with chives for additional flavour and colour.

Tips & tricks

Our best tip is to make sure you’re always using fresh fish where possible and to lightly poach the fish before adding to the pie mix, as we’ve shared in our recipe above. If you use frozen fish, you can end up with a very watery pie filling. We recommend keeping your fish ratios equal, so the different flavours don’t overpower each other. You can also experiment with adding more seasoning to the pie filling than in our recipe above, but we’ve kept it simple for you to use as a base to experiment with at home.

Recipe variations

We’ve shared our favourite recipe for fish pie that’s classic and straightforward, but there are little twists you can easily introduce to the recipe. Firstly, a common one is the addition of prawns and you can find our fish pie with prawn recipe here if you’re keen to add an additional ingredient to the mix. Secondly, you don’t have to stick to salmon and cod. Fish pie can be made with a number of options, from sole to halibut to haddock. Take a look at our helpful guide to white fish for more inspiration on how to vary your easy fish pie recipe at home.

What to serve it with

When it comes to the choice of what to serve with fish pie, there’s a multitude of ways to enjoy this hearty dish with family and friends. In the recipe above we’ve shared an effortless option of a quick sprinkle of chives. If you’re looking for an opportunity to up your vegetable intake, minted greens are a tasty option that pairs perfectly with the creaminess of the fish pie. Or keep it zesty with a side of lemon green beans, where the citrus of the lemon adds a new flavour dynamic to the dish.

Storage

Once fully cool, you can store fish pie in the fridge for around three days, but it’s best served warm on the day of cooking.