Hi! Today, I'm here with a recipe for a delicious and incredibly light fish and vegetable pie! I've learned how to cook a good fish pie here in the UK, after seeing it many times on various cooking shows.
There are many different recipes for fish pies and this is my version of the British Classic - it's fluffy, creamy, tender and packed with flavours that underline the delicate taste of the fish.
The pie is ideal for a weeknight or Saturday night dinner.
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What do you need to make this fish and vegetable pie?
The heart of this pie is, of course, fish. In this recipe, I use wild salmon and pollock fillets. Both are rich in nutrients and their meat is very soft.
Feel free to use fresh or frozen fish, according to what is available.
However, if using fresh (chilled or defrosted) fish fillets, you can add them to the pie right away. Just pat them with a tea towel to get rid of any excess moisture, no need to poach defrosted fish.
Vegetables make an important part of this pie's filling.
I am using carrots, courgette (zucchini), celery sticks and frozen peas (peas in a can will serve you just as well!).
They beautifully stretch the pie's filling and bring different texture and subtle flavours to the meal.
The white sauce is made of butter, milk and plain flour. It's seasoned with thyme, rosemary, salt and black pepper.
Finally, potatoes go on top of the pie. Any white type of potatoes will do. In this recipe, you don't have to mash them.
Simply peel and slice them. Pre-cook them for a few minutes, layer them on top of the fish and vegetable pie's filling and bake.
Can you swap any of the ingredients?
Yes, absolutely! This fish pie with vegetables is very versatile.
- Use various types of fish
Cod, salmon, haddock, trout, or basa fillets will be equally perfect in this recipe.
I like to use at least two different types of fish fillets so that the pie's texture and color are a bit richer. But if you've got plenty of one type of fish, make the most of it by using it all in this pie!
- Vegetables
Feel free to substitute some of the vegetables. For example, if you've run out of courgettes (zucchinis), swap them for leeks, broccoli, cauliflower or parsnips. If you like the pie juicier, you can also add some cherry tomatoes to it.
Use fresh, canned or frozen veg and always adjust the cooking times accordingly (fresh vegetables usually need to be cooked for longer than frozen or canned ones).
- Make it dairy-free
Use oat milk (or other plant-based milk) instead of semi-skimmed cow milk. And use 3tbsp of sunflower oil instead of butter for the white sauce.
How to store this fish pie with vegetables?
This fish pie with vegetables will stay fresh in the fridge for up to two days. Leave it to cool down, cover with a kitchen aluminium foil, or store in airtight food container.
You can also freeze this fish pie, even when you used frozen fish. Make sure it's cooked thoroughly, leave to cool down. Place in an airtight and freezer-safe food container and keep in the freezer for up to two months. Defrost fully and reheat properly before serving. Consume immediately.
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📖 The Recipe
Fish and vegetable pie
Ingredients
- 800 g potatoes, peeled
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, plus some for drizzling
- 2 large carrots, peeled, chopped
- 1 ½ courgette, cut into dices
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 96 g frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 wild salmon fillets
- 2 pollock fillets
For the white sauce
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon plain flour
- 700 ml semi-skimmed milk
- salt, pepper, to taste
For serving (optional)
- 60 g wild rocket salad
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- olive oil, to drizzle
- salt, pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare all vegetables and have the rest of the ingredients ready.
- Slice potatoes so that they are 0.5cm thick. Place in a saucepan, cover with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to boil. When it starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-high and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the potatoes are almost soft. Drain and set the potatoes on a plate aside.
- Add 2 tablespoon olive oil into a large frying pan (use an oven-proof skillet if available). Set on medium-high heat. Add chopped carrots and fry for 5 minutes. Stir occassionally.
- Boil a kettle of water. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
- Add courgettes, celery sticks, onion and garlic to the pan with carrots. Season with rosemary and thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss everything and leave to cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Poach the fish
- In the meantime, poach the frozen fish - skip this step if using defrosted/chilled fish. Fill ¾ of a saucepan (same one as for boiling the potatoes) with boiling water from the kettle. Set on high heat and bring to boil. Add the frozen fish fillets/chunks. Keep the heat on high so that it starts to boil soon after. Once it boils again, lower the heat to medium-high and leave to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Drain the fish fillets (using a sieve) and transfer them carefully to the pan with vegetables. using a wooden spoon, break up the fish fillets into smaller chunks and stir with the cooked veg. Leave to cook on medium heat whilst preparing the white sauce.
Make the white sauce
- Add butter into a non-stick saucepan and set on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add flour and stir until you get a thick, batter-like texture. Fry for a minute and gradually add milk. Use a whisk to stir (whisk) the sauce. The sauce will get thicker. Keep adding the remaining milk. Keep whisking so that it doesn't burn from the bottom.
- When the white sauce reaches cream-like consistency, pour the white sauce into the frying pan with vegetables and fish. Stir thoroughly and leave to cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Prepare a large casserole (oven-proof) dish, transfer the fish and vegetable sauce into the casserole. Cover with the sliced potatoes, drizzle some olive oil on top and place in the oven. Bake for 30-35 mins or until slightly golden on top.
- Serve with a rocket and pepper salad (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
- use any fish that is available to you (boneless)
- vegetables: use leeks, parsnip, broccoli or cauliflower instead of the veg in the recipe
- semi-skimmed milk for oat or other plant-based milk
- butter for 3 tablespoon sunflower oil
Markus + Micah
Love the potato topping. I have never really cooked pie anything and I am really curious how they are. This ones seems super nice and healthy. I can imagine how light it is.
Markie
Hi, thank you! The fact it's made of white sauce (bechamel-like), makes it really light, comparing to a cream-based sauce. I definitely recommend trying fish or shepherd's/cottage pie, they are really lovely - great comfort food that can be cooked in batches. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂