Fish pie has all the delicious components of any good comfort food including a creamy sauce, substantial base and delicious topping.
The most basic versions of this dish are incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients, and chef Rick Stein has made it even more straightforward.
A mixture of fresh or frozen fish is essential in any fish pie recipe but Rick has a welcome twist on the topping that speeds up the process.
Sharing the recipe from his cookbook Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers, the Padstow-based chef said: “I love a fish pie but I do realise that there are a lot of processes involved, although the great thing is that when you come to serving there’s nothing to do except take it out of the oven.
“I’ve made this recipe as simple as possible by not having a proper béchamel sauce or mashed potato, as you would for a traditional fish pie.”
Rick’s simple fish pie recipe
Ingredients
600ml whole milk
500g whiting, coley or pollock
300g undyed smoked haddock
Two egg yolks
Two tbsp cornflour
85g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
Splash of white wine
Large handful of parsley, chopped
150g peeled prawns, fresh or frozen and defrosted
320g ready-rolled puff pastry
Milk or egg yolk, to glaze
Salt and black pepper
How to make fish pie
First, preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C then heat the milk in a wide pan over the hob over medium heat. When hot, add the fish and poach for three to five minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, then lift the fish out with a slotted spoon, leaving the milk in the pan. Allow the fish to cool a little until it is safe enough to handle, and peel off any skin.
Now gently break the flesh into large chunks and allow the milk to cool a little. Take a small bowl and mix the egg yolks and cornflour to form a paste. Gradually whisk in about one ladleful of the poaching milk.
Place the pan of milk over low heat and whisk in the egg yolk mixture, then stir over medium heat to form a thickened creamy sauce.
Stir in the grated cheese, pour in the wine and add the parsley, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
Now transfer the fish, sauce and prawns to an ovenproof dish, about 20 x 30cm in size, and gently combine. Top with the readymade pastry sheet and brush with milk or egg yolk for a nice golden colour when cooked.
Slice the pastry a couple of times to allow steam to escape and bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is nicely golden and well rise. Serve the fish pie hot from the oven with peas, broccoli or green leafy vegetables.