Easy British Fish Pie Recipe

By Elaine Lemm

Updated 09/19/18

british fish pie
Philippe - Getty Images
Ratings (57)
  • Total: 60 mins
  • Prep: 30 mins
  • Cook: 30 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
422 Calories
19g Fat
51g Carbs
11g Protein
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This British fish pie recipe is nutritious, easy, and can be economical to cook. Ask your fishmonger for a selection of fish scraps and, usually, they will charge you less than the market price. If they aren't willing, then change your fishmonger.

Buy chunks of fresh, seasonal fish whenever possible, frozen is fine as long as you defrost it first. If you don't, you will end up with a lot of water in the bottom of your dish.
As you can see in this recipe which contains fish, leeks, milk, butter, and potatoes, a fish pie is a one-pot supper dish. Some like to sprinkle a fish pie with grated cheese but this is optional, as is the addition of hard-cooked eggs seen in some recipes. Serve the pie with peas or other fresh greens.

Oh, and by the way, with all that lovely fish and vegetables, this dish is good for you, too. 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fish stock
  • 1 cup milk
  • 12 ounces assorted fish pieces (see note below)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 ounces butter
  • 1 medium leek (white part only, washed thoroughly and finely sliced)
  • 2 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (finely chopped)
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • 5 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (warm and creamy)
  • Optional: handful grated cheddar cheese

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat the oven to 355 F/180 C.

  2. Pour the fish stock and milk into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

  3. Add the fish pieces and bay leaf and poach for 5 minutes.

  4. Remove the fish pieces with a slotted spoon and keep to one side. Reserve the pot liquor.

  5. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook for 5 minutes, until the leeks are soft.

  6. While still hot, add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon.

  7. Pour the fish liquor into the pan and stir again. Raise the temperature and cook for 3 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.

  8. Turn the heat off and remove the bay leaf.

  9. Add the poached fish, chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Leave to one side.

  10. Place the fish and sauce into an ovenproof dish and cover with a thick layer of mashed potatoes fluffed up with a fork. Or for a more professional look, pipe the mashed potatoes from a piping bag with a large nozzle.

  11. Sprinkle with optional grated cheese.

  12. Put the dish on a baking sheet and cook in the center of the heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling beneath the potatoes.

  13. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Kitchen Note

Either buy one type of fish (skinless and bones removed) cut into bite-sized chunks, or mix different fish and/or prawns together. Choose non-oily, fleshy fish such as salmon, cod, smoked haddock, and coley (similar to cod).