This comforting fish pie is packed with flaky fish, a rich smoky cheese sauce, and topped with creamy mashed potatoes. A British classic perfect for family dinners!
The recipe comes from me watching my mum make it when I stayed at home as a teenager! One of the first things she taught me was to make a roux for cheese sauce...I love her macaroni cheese as well as her fish pie.
I've looked at loads of recipes for fish pie over the years and have seen herbs, vegetables and sometimes boiled egg added to the sauce. Sometimes it's more of a white sauce than a cheese sauce and I've also seen variations on toppings. This recipe has to be the favourite in our house...always a smoked fish within the fish selection, a really cheesy sauce and plain mashed potatoes with grated cheese on top. A comforting dish for when the weather's cold outside!
Tips
- Fish selection - I normally use 500g white fish (eg: haddock, cod or basa), 250g smoked fish (eg: smoked haddock or smoked basa), 150g salmon or prawns.
- Vegetables - try adding peas, leeks or spinach to the cheese sauce for extra nutrition and texture.
- Dairy-free option - use oat milk and dairy-free cheese.
- Gluten-free option - swap the flour for cornflour in the cheese sauce.
- This fish pie recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less or more people. Use different sized dishes if halving or doubling the recipe.
Featured Comment
"Didn't have any fancy cheese so just used all grated sharp cheddar. Baked at 375 F for 25 minutes and added a whole bag of frozen peas cooked in the microwave before adding on top of the fish before the cheese sauce layer.
Fantastic!"
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A mix of white fish (haddock, cod or bass), smoked fish (smoked haddock or smoked basa), and salmon works best for depth of flavour.
Don’t overcook the fish before assembling. Drain any excess liquid from the fish before adding to the sauce, and use a thick sauce to bind the ingredients.
Yes - freeze before baking for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for about an hour.
Yes - assemble and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then bake for about 40 minutes.
Use sweet potato mash instead of regular potatoes.
Serve with green beans, broccoli or sautéed kale and green beans.
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How to make this Fish Pie
Ingredients
- 900g floury potatoes (eg: Maris Piper or King Edwards), peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
- cooking salt
- 670ml semi-skimmed milk (split into 70ml and 600ml)
- 110g salted butter (split into 35g and 75g)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 900g fish fillets (try a mix of firm white fish, smoked fish, salmon, prawns - see Tips)
- 55g plain flour
- 275g extra mature cheddar, grated (split into 200g and 75g)
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6. Put a baking tray in the oven to heat.
- Make the mashed potatoes - put the potatoes in a medium saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and add some cooking salt. Cook on a continuous simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain well in a colander and let them sit for a minute or 2 to steam dry. Meanwhile, add the 70ml of milk and 35g of butter to the saucepan and put on a low heat to warm the milk and melt the butter. Turn off the heat and add the cooked potatoes. Mash well until the potatoes are smooth and the milk and butter combined. Season with black pepper, to taste – stir again well to combine the seasoning. Set the pan of mash aside until ready to top the pie at step 8.
- While the potatoes are boiling you can get on with cooking the fish and making the cheese sauce. To cook the fish, heat a large lidded saucepan on a medium to high heat and add the 600ml of milk and fish (if your fish fillets are quite large or long, cut them in half to fit into the pan). As soon as the milk shows signs of coming to the boil, reduce the heat so that it’s simmering. Cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the fish from the milk and set it aside on a plate to cool. Pour the milk into a jug for using in the cheese sauce.
- Now make the cheese sauce - melt the 75g of butter, in the same pan used to cook the fish, over a low heat. Stir in the flour as soon as the butter has melted. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Increase the heat slightly, then slowly pour the reserved jug of milk into the pan, just a little at a time, stirring well until the sauce is smooth and thickened slightly. Bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Add 200g of the grated cheddar and stir until all melted. Season with salt, to taste, if needed and remove from the heat (I tend to find I don't need to add salt to the cheese sauce due to the smoked fish being cooked in the milk, and with using extra mature cheddar).
- Remove any skin from the fish and discard it. Flake the cooled fish into large chunks and spread evenly in a pie or ovenproof dish (I usually use my medium rectangular dish that's 27cm x 20cm), then pour over the cheese sauce. Set aside for around 10 minutes for the sauce to cool slightly.
- Top the fish and cheese sauce with the mashed potatoes and scatter over the 75g of grated cheddar.
- Bake on the preheated tray in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes, turning half way until the potatoes are golden brown all over.
- Enjoy with your choice of vegetable side dishes!
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Fish Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 900 g (2 lb) floury potatoes (eg: Maris Piper or King Edwards) peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
- cooking salt
- 670 ml (2 ⅞ cups) semi-skimmed milk (split into 70ml and 600ml)
- 110 g (3.9 oz) salted butter (split into 35g and 75g)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 900 g (2 lb) fish fillets (try a mix of firm white fish, smoked fish, salmon, prawns - see Notes)
- 55 g (1.9 oz) plain flour
- 275 g (2 ½ cups) extra mature cheddar grated (split into 200g and 75g)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6. Put a baking tray in the oven to heat.
- Make the mashed potatoes - put the potatoes in a medium saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and add some cooking salt. Cook on a continuous simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain well in a colander and let them sit for a minute or 2 to steam dry. Meanwhile, add the 70ml of milk and 35g of butter to the saucepan and put on a low heat to warm the milk and melt the butter. Turn off the heat and add the cooked potatoes. Mash well until the potatoes are smooth and the milk and butter combined. Season with black pepper, to taste – stir again well to combine the seasoning. Set the pan of mash aside until ready to top the pie at step 8.
- While the potatoes are boiling you can get on with cooking the fish and making the cheese sauce. To cook the fish, heat a large lidded saucepan on a medium to high heat and add the 600ml of milk and fish (if your fish fillets are quite large or long, cut them in half to fit into the pan). As soon as the milk shows signs of coming to the boil, reduce the heat so that it’s simmering. Cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the fish from the milk and set it aside on a plate to cool. Pour the milk into a jug for using in the cheese sauce.
- Now make the cheese sauce - melt the 75g of butter, in the same pan used to cook the fish, over a low heat. Stir in the flour as soon as the butter has melted. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Increase the heat slightly, then slowly pour the reserved jug of milk into the pan, just a little at a time, stirring well until the sauce is smooth and thickened slightly. Bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Add 200g of the grated cheddar and stir until all melted. Season with salt, to taste, if needed and remove from the heat (I tend to find I don't need to add salt to the cheese sauce due to the smoked fish being cooked in the milk, and with using extra mature cheddar).
- Remove any skin from the fish and discard it. Flake the cooled fish into large chunks and spread evenly in a pie or ovenproof dish (I usually use my medium rectangular dish that's 27cm x 20cm), then pour over the cheese sauce. Set aside for around 10 minutes for the sauce to cool slightly.
- Top the fish and cheese sauce with the mashed potatoes and scatter over the 75g of grated cheddar.
- Bake on the preheated tray in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes, turning half way until the potatoes are golden brown all over.
- Enjoy with your choice of vegetable side dishes!
Notes
-
- Fish selection - I normally use 500g white fish (eg: haddock, cod or basa), 250g smoked fish (eg: smoked haddock or smoked basa), 150g salmon or prawns.
-
- Vegetables - try adding peas, leeks or spinach to the cheese sauce for extra nutrition and texture.
-
- Dairy-free option - use oat milk and dairy-free cheese.
-
- Gluten-free option - swap the flour for cornflour in the cheese sauce.
-
- This fish pie recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less or more people. Use different sized dishes if halving or doubling the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Spillt User says
Didn't have any fancy cheese so just used all grated sharp cheddar. Baked at 375 F for 25 minutes and added a whole back of frozen peas cooked in the microwave before adding on top of the fish before the cheese sauce layer.
Fantastic!
Deborah says
Thank you for your review and rating - much appreciated! So glad to hear you enjoyed it so much - it's one of my favourite dishes.