Creamy Pescatarian Fish Pie with Cheesy Mash
Comforting British fish pie: mixed fish, prawns and smoked salmon in a creamy mustard sauce, topped with cheesy mashed potato.
This is a proper British fish pie — rich, velvety and very comforting. It layers flaky white fish, smoked salmon and prawns in a mustardy cream sauce, finished with a cheesy mashed-potato crown.
Make it for weekend family dinners or when you need something that feels indulgent without being fussy. It’s forgiving to ingredient swaps and keeps well for leftovers — if there are any.
Ingredients
- 350 g white fish fillets — boneless, skinless, cut into large chunks
- 150 g smoked salmon — sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 150 g raw king prawns — peeled and deveined
- 800 g potatoes — floury variety (Maris Piper), peeled and cut into even chunks
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 350 ml milk — whole or semi-skimmed
- 100 ml double cream
- 40 g plain flour
- 200 ml fish stock — homemade or reconstituted from a cube
- 1 leek — white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 150 g frozen peas
- 100 g mature cheddar — grated
- 15 ml Dijon mustard
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped
- 10 g fresh dill — roughly chopped
- 15 ml olive oil
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
- 1 lemon — zest and juice
- nutmeg — a pinch, freshly grated
Equipment
- large saucepan
- frying pan
- ovenproof dish (about 2 litres)
- potato masher or ricer
- grater
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Place the potato chunks in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of sea salt and bring to the boil, then simmer until tender.
While the potatoes cook, heat the olive oil and 20g of the unsalted butter in a frying pan over a medium hob. Add the sliced leek and sweat gently until soft but not coloured.
Stir the remaining 30g unsalted butter into the leek, then sprinkle in the plain flour and cook for 1–2 minutes while stirring to form a roux. Gradually whisk in the milk and fish stock, then add the double cream, Dijon mustard and a pinch of nutmeg. Simmer gently until the sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon.
Reduce the heat to low and gently add the white fish fillets, raw king prawns and smoked salmon to the sauce. Poach very gently for 4–5 minutes until the fish is just cooked through; add the frozen peas and most of the chopped parsley and dill, then finish with lemon juice, seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.
Drain the potatoes, return to the pan and mash with the remaining unsalted butter, a splash of milk, half the grated mature cheddar, lemon zest and seasoning to taste until smooth and creamy.
Spoon the fish and sauce into an ovenproof dish (about 2 litres). Taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon or pipe the cheesy mashed potato over the top, smooth or create ridges for extra crisping. Sprinkle the remaining grated mature cheddar over the mash and scatter over a little extra chopped parsley.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden.
If you like a crispier, browned top, finish under the grill for 2–3 minutes — watch carefully to avoid burning. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Tips
- Use mixed fish for texture: a firm white fish for flake and smoked salmon for salt and colour.
- If the sauce looks lumpy, pass it through a fine sieve or whisk vigorously; a splash of extra milk will loosen an over-thick sauce.
- Make the filling a day ahead and keep chilled; assemble and bake from cold — add 5–10 minutes to the oven time.
- Rough-ridging the mash with a fork gives more surface area to brown; for an extra crisp top, dot with a little melted butter before grilling.
- Leftovers reheat well in a 180°C fan/200°C conventional oven for 20–25 minutes until piping hot.
Substitutions
white fish fillets → haddock or pollock in the same quantity (350g)
Stays closemature cheddar → grated Cheshire or Red Leicester (same quantity)
Stays closeplain flour → cornflour, 30g mixed with a little cold water then stirred into the hot sauce (use slightly less)
Noticeably differentdouble cream → crème fraîche, same quantity
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 780
- Calories
- 50 g
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this in advance?
Yes — prepare the filling and mash separately and refrigerate (covered) for up to 24 hours. Assemble and bake straight from cold, adding 5–10 minutes to the bake time.
Can I freeze the fish pie?
Freeze before baking: assemble in a freezer-proof dish, cool completely, cover tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and bake from cold, adding extra time.
How do I know when the fish is cooked?
Fish is done when it’s opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Prawns should be pink and firm. Poach gently in the sauce — high heat makes seafood tough.
Can I omit the smoked salmon?
Yes — the pie will be milder in flavour. You may want to increase seasoning or add a teaspoon more Dijon mustard for depth.
Community Photos
No photos yet
Be the first to share your creation!
