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This is such an Easy Fish Pie recipe to have up your sleeve when the time calls for it. It has a delicious cheesy mash topping, a really simple sauce and involves no pre-cooking of the fish at all. Just assemble all together for the ultimate comfort food.
I think it’s easy to believe that fish pie can be one of those dishes that’s tricky to master, a bit of a faff and generally hard work. Not so!
I knew there had to be a way to make a classic fish pie recipe that was super simple, and I’m very happy to report that THIS is it!
This is honestly such an easy Fish Pie and is a fantastic go-to recipe for those cosy evenings with the family or for serving up to guests around the dinner table.
This pie just feels good. It’s satisfying, nourishing and doesn’t involve using 5 pans or 20 techniques. This is the modified, simplified version of fish pie with a no-fail sauce, which doesn’t compromise on flavour.
It’s also perfect for batch cooking to get those freezer meals in for the future.
Why you’ll love this simple Fish Pie recipe
⭐️ Hearty and comforting
⭐️ Simple and delicious
⭐️ Perfect for batch cooking
Why is this the BEST Fish Pie recipe?
The beauty of this recipe is that you really don’t need to pre-cook the fish beforehand, which overcooks the ingredients anyway.
As is always the case with these kinds of freezable dishes, this easy Fish Pie is perfect for making one for now and one for the freezer at the same time. Or you can prep it in advance and pop it in the oven when you’re ready, which makes it great for busy days or when entertaining.
This Fish Pie, sometimes called Fisherman’s Pie as it’s closely related to Shepherd’s Pie, contains mixed fish pieces and prawns, covered in a tasty white sauce and topped with cheesy mash and breadcrumbs for a light crunch.
It then does its thing in the oven for about 30 minutes, making this as quick and easy as it gets.
Easy Fish Pie Ingredients
- Fresh fish pie mix – I use a mixture of cod, salmon and smoked haddock
- Prawns – Get ones already cooked
- Potatoes – Go for something floury and fluffy in texture like King Edward, Maris Piper or Desiree (my preference)
- Butter
- Cheese – Grated cheddar is good here
- Breadcrumbs – I used premade Panko because life is short
- Milk – Full fat or semi-skimmed
- Cornflour PLEASE NOTE: Cornflour in the UK is NOT the same as it in the US! There it’s known as ‘corn starch’. Corn flour in the US is something different (the same as cornmeal in the UK), so please don’t use this
- Fresh chives
- Salt and pepper
How to make Easy Fish Pie
- Boil up the potatoes for 10 minutes or so until soft enough to mash.
- Meanwhile, make your sauce: Mix a small amount of milk with the cornflour (corn starch in the US) to make a paste. Add the remaining milk and the paste to a pan over a medium heat until it thickens. Add the chives and season.
- Add your fish into a dish and pour over the sauce. Drain your potatoes and mash with butter and season. Spread and smooth across the top of the pie filling.
- Sprinkle cheese and breadcrumbs over the top and bake in the oven for 30 minutes on 180C until golden brown and crispy.
Substitutions
- Types of fish – Obviously go for the fish you like. A fish pie mix in most supermarkets contains the fish I’ve used here, but you can use the same weight of anything similar in cubes. Do try to include some smoked fish for flavour.
Fish Pie Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for a day or two. Reheat fully in the microwave or oven until piping hot before serving.
In the freezer This recipe freezes well. I tend to make it all up to the point where you put it in the oven and then freeze. Allow to defrost fully and then bake in the oven on the day you want to eat it.
Top tips for making quick Fish Pie
Make it ahead to save time later
I prepare it all up to the stage where you would put it into the oven. Then it will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you come to cook it, it will take about 10-15 minutes longer to cook than if you were using a sauce/potatoes that’s already warm.
Check it’s cooked
Be sure to check that the pie is hot all the way through before serving (push a metal knife into the middle and when you pull it out it should be burning hot OR better still use a food thermometer like this one).
Other great make-ahead pie recipes
If it’s batch-cooked pies you’re after, you could try my Chicken & Leek Pie, Cottage Pie, Easy Chicken Pie, Cowboy Pie or Shepherd’s Pie too.
FAQs
Serve this with some simple greens, like peas, green beans or broccoli.
This can often happen when your mashed potatoes are too soft to start with. They need to be left a little thicker than normal.
It can also happen if your fish is fresh and gives off water as it cooks. But honestly? I think a tiny bit of water in the sauce is worth it rather than having overcooked fish or having the extra step of pre-cooking the fish.
If you use gluten-free breadcrumbs (or omit them), this recipe is gluten free.
For this recipe, YES! No need to pre-cook. Everything cooks together nicely.
Yes, you can use a ready bag of fish pie mix in the supermarket, which is often better value and saves time. However, I would still defrost the fish before adding it to the dish so it doesn’t go too watery (usually fish doesn’t take long to defrost).
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Easy Fish Pie
Ingredients
- 520 g (1.1 lb) Fresh fish pie mix, See notes
- 175 g (6 oz) Cooked prawns
For the topping:
- 1.25 kg (2.7 lb) Potatoes, Peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 tbsp Butter
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 100 g (4 oz) Cheddar cheese, Grated
- 50 g (2 oz) Panko breadcrumbs
For the sauce:
- 400 ml (1.75 cups) Milk, Whole or semi-skimmed
- 30 g (1. oz) Cornflour, Cornstarch if you're in USA
- 10 g (2 tsp) Fresh chives, Finely chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F fan.
- Put your potatoes, with a sprinkle of salt, in a pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes or until a knife slides in easily.
To make the sauce:
- While the potatoes are cooking, put the cornflour into a mug and mix with a small amount of the measured milk until it forms a paste.
- Put the remaining milk into a sauce pan over a medium heat. Pour in the cornflour 'slurry' and whisk the sauce until it thickens and is smooth.
- Add the chives and plenty of salt and pepper.
To make the pie:
- Put the raw fish pie mix and prawns into the bottom of a large dish. Pour over the sauce.
- Mash the cooked and drained potatoes in the saucepan and add the butter and salt and peppers. Spread over the top of the dish and sauce.
- Sprinkle over the cheese and breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is crispy and golden and the fish is cooked through.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published on March 4, 2021 and updated later to make improvements.
Texture was great but the sauce was flavourless. No idea why as I followed the recipe to the letter. Think I’d make a cheesy sauce next time.
Just tried your fish pie recipe, a brilliant success with friends for New Year’s Day lunch. Many thanks.
Mick.
Thanks for doing this with raw fish I wanted to know it was possible as as someone else has said cooking it first means its overcooked at the end.
My question is, if you are storing in the fridge or even freezing, is it safe that the raw fish is potentially being heated by the sauce and mash or would you cool them all first and then assemble pre storage?? Thanks
I’ve tried other fish pie recipes and haven’t really been impressed with any of them. This is by far the least complicated, quickest and tastiest. I had to deviate slightly, due to availability. I used a mix of dried chives and dried parsley and I didn’t add the breadcrumbs. I also added a chunk of butter to the sauce, as I like my sauce to have a buttery taste. Cooking the pie with the fish raw produced moist, beautifully cooked fish, unlike the other recipes where the fish was always dry. Thank you. 😊
Can you freeze it? if so at what stage?