Luxurious fish pie - any ideas please

grrrranny just in case your sauce doesn't taste 'fishy' enough the knorr fish stock cubes are great for adding flavour.

That sounds very tasty Rosie - will try it next time, thanks for that

Thanks RB I think you are right about not having potato topping as it would be a bit solid. I am going to have a trial run next week sometime - like your idea of using bought cheese sauce!

I use a mix of chunks of uncooked smoked haddock and cooked prawns, popped in a dish with peas/broccoli/asparagus - depending on what I have in, [briefly steamed]. Warm up a tub of cheese sauce [from pasta section of most supermarkets ] with a smidgen of English mustard, a pinch of cayenne, some chopped parsley and juice of half a lemon. Stir this through the fish and I add a hard boiled egg for DH.
I find the topping of mash to be a bit heavy so I blitz some decent bread into crumbs with chopped spring onions and grated parmesan and pop this on top. Ciabatta flavoured with dried tomato or olives is good. The pie takes about 20 - 30 minutes @180. I find it's lighter than the traditional fish pie but still yummy.

Poor you!
It's lovely!
Sweet dreams all

Oh no jeni - not sweetbreads, My Mum used to cook those and I just couldn't get to like them, a strange texture, but then - I'm not one for any form of offal really

No! Just follow mornay recipe! Although I must admit I usually increase the wine to make it a little runnier. You must make sure though, that you cook the saucesuffienttly to get the raw alcohol flavour out!
The 4cheese ready made sauce simmered with wine (white, dry, mini bottle) does very well indeed.
The same sauce goes with pan fried veal sweetbreads!

Jeni what a good idea - wine - certainly. Would cheese make it a bit solid? I have a fear of that but have mornay recipes. I have always been a bit poor so all our food has been of the frugal type and am out of my depth when cost is not a factor.

I've just eaten my fish pie and I am full!!

Don't forget the wine and cheese in the sauce! Look for a mornay recipe!

I think I have really been missing out - DH only likes fish as in 'fish and chips' at seaside. So I don't bother but I think, from all those great ideas, I could make an attempt. Kind of pulling it all together, if I either made fish stock and reduced it (faff) or used some bought stuff, simmered fish mix a couple of mins. drained, kept liquid, flaked fish, used liquid + stock + milk/cream to make white saucey thing - mix all tog - bung in some of those big prawns that I think I have to take black bit out of - top with mash that I have put through the ricer!!! and then some of the cheese/breadcrumb mix mishap mentioned and bung in the huge aga thing then pray. what do you think? I have no idea about quantities but will just have to wing it but can take guidance from the posted ideas and kind of double up. Fish lasagna - would never have thought of that and it sounds good.

I should have asked about this on GN earlier instead of worrying. I still don't quite get the egg addition that lots of books suggest. Please tell me if my idea is rubbish - I will have to give it a much smaller quantity trial run before I inflict it on 8 unsuspecting folks. Why oh why did I say yes - I suppose it keeps life interesting.

Thank you everyone and any more suggestions or help really welcome.

maniac yes thanks, I'm fine . Going to help dd with chicken pox baby who loves my iPad,on mon and wednesday

I use the Tesco fish pie mixture too, always add some scallops (my favourite) and have to add a couple of hardboiled eggs (for OH because he doesn't like fish much it makes it more palatable for him).
I don't cook the fish first, just put it in a dish, cover with a white or cheesy sauce and cover with mashed potato. Cook till golden on the top which is plenty of time to cook the fish too.
Must try it in the Remoska sometime as my it sits in a cupboard not being used often enough

jeni always have the ingredients for your quick fish pie in my storecupboard.Might make one tomorrow.
The Tesco fish pie mix pack is handy too.Often pick one up and keep in freezer.
Still croaking a bit .Hope your throat is better and you're recovered from SF trip

Enjoy I haven't made it since dh died, but we both liked it!
Not worth the fiddle for one though.
I do do a quick version with 4cheese sauce (ready made) with some wine I though!

They all sound delicious, but I'm definitely going to make your one, jeni!

When I make my chowder, I add some absolutely gorgeous king prawns. They are big buggers chaps, keep their texture beautifully and are only £2.49 for a pack that contains between 22 and 28 prawns!

Funny you should mention Fish Pie; as it's Good Friday I planned to do just that and turned on the computer for my recipes (and GN of course!). Here's the one I'm making in a few minutes!!

Fisherman's Pie


700g (1½ lb) mixed white & smoked fish
570ml (1pint) milk 100g (
4 oz) butter 50g
(2 oz) flour 100g (
4 oz) peeled prawns
2 hard boiled eggs
15g (1tbs) chopped parsley
(15ml (1tbs) capers if liked)
15ml (1tbs) lemon juice
Salt and pepper

For the topping
900g (2lb) freshly cooked potatoes)
50g (2 oz) butter
4 tbs milk
a little grated nutmeg
25g (1 oz) strong Cheddar cheese grated

A shallow baking tin
1.5l ovenproof pie dish (well buttered)
Heat oven to 200’ C
Arrange the fish in the baking tin and season well with salt and pepper. Pour over half the milk, dot with 25g butter in flecks. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Pour off and reserve the cooking liquid. Remove the skin from the fish and flake the flesh into fairly large pieces. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, then stir in the flour and gradually add the fish cooking liquid - stirring well after each addition. When all the liquid is in, slowly add the remaining milk. Season with salt and pepper. Next, mix the fish into the sauce with the prawns, the chopped hard boiled eggs, (capers) and parsley. Stir in the lemon juice. Put into the buttered pie dish. Mash the potatoes, butter and milk, add some nutmeg and spread the mixture evenly all over the fish. Smooth the surface, then using a round ended blade of a knife pattern the top by making 1cm indentations in rows. Finally sprinkle the cheese all over

Bake on a high shelf for 30-40 minutes until browned

Changing the recipe slightly - have you thought of making a fish lasagna? Here's a recipe a friend gave me:

1 tablespoon oil, half a red pepper and half a green pepper finely
chopped. 8oz prawns, 1 large can pink salmon, grated rind and juice
of half a lemon
half a teaspoon dried tarragon (optional), 2 tablespoons chopped fresh
parsley, salt and pepper.

sauce - 2 oz margarine or butter, 3 oz plain flour, 2 pints milk

also 2 oz grated Cheshire or other cheese, sheets of lasagne

Lightly fry pepper in oil till slightly softened, stir in prawns,
salmon, lemon juice and rind, tarragon and parsley and seasoning.
Make white sauce, stir until thickened, stir fish mixture into sauce.
Layer sheets of lasagne and sauce mix finishing with sauce on top,
add grated cheese.
Bake 35 minutes 160C fan oven. Cover for the first 25 minutes and
remove for last 10 minutes of cooking time.

My notes:-

I have made this using a pack of fresh "fish pie mix" about 300 grams
from Tesco which I quickly microwave for a couple of minutes with some
lemon juice and then add a pack of fresh prawns. My main problem is I
use a large stoneware dish which takes a lot longer to cook through so
I allow 1 hour at 180C fan oven.

It tastes good and I have frozen any leftover portions to microwave at a later date.

Fish pie is my all-time favourite meal! I make it every week. Like mishap I use fish pie mix, (but try not to have one with too much smoked haddock in it as it can overpower the sauce) and like shysal I poach the fish to make a stock. Adding prawns takes it up a notch (if you're using cooked prawns add them to the sauce at the last minute), and Jeni's mixture sounds a real treat if you want to push the boat out! Make enough for 9 and I'll be there - can't resist it!

How about a mixture of scallops prawns and whitefish in a white wine and cheese sauce, with mashed potato piped round the plate?

I poach the fish in seasoned milk for about 5 minutes so that I have flavoured milk to make a standard bechamel sauce. Place fish and sauce in greased dish, then top with mashed potato, nicest with grated cheese mixed in. Bake at 200° for about 20 minutes until golden. You can add any other flavouring or herb that takes your fancy.
I use skimmed milk to keep the calories down, but cream would make it more luxurious.

Thanks again Mishap - I am a bung it in type too but this time I have to be a bit more precise. These folks will be entertaining guests and I mean 'guests'! Jeni love your version for home and my mum would love it too - do you remember when condensed soup tins had ideas on the back - like using oxtail soup in mince? Forgot about that and it was really tasty. They don't seem to do as many varieties now. I loved the Old Fashioned Tomato Rice - gone!

Tinned toms, tinned salmon, tinned condensed cream of mushroom soup top with mashed tattie and shove in microwave!
I do prefer to use fresh toms however and usually serve with lemon wedges!

I never simmer the fish first - just bung it in.
I usually slice the celeriac.
A big tub of creme fraiche if you are feeding 8 I would think.
Don't know what the books say - I just made this up one day and everyone loves it!
I am a "just bung it in" type of cook!!