Now, this does take a bit more faffing around than I can usually be bothered with for kids’ tea, but it is really tasty. And you can make it in advance, and just pop it in the oven half an hour before you eat.
If you’re being really organised, you could double the quantities and make 2 pies; one for today, one for the freezer. Defrost overnight in the fridge before you cook it.
Poaching the fish in the milk first makes the sauce even tastier and is well worth the extra faff, and the extra washing up.
When they were smaller, I used to make a big batch in those tiny Gu Pud pots and freeze them, then defrost them in the fridge overnight.
Now that the kids are bigger, with big gluttonous stomachs, I make a big pie and we all have dinner together.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 50 minutes |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
- 1.2 kg potatoes nice fluffy ones for mash
- 300 grammes fish pie mix we use salmon, cod & haddock
- 40 grammes unsalted butter
- 40 grammes plain flour
- 1 litre milk
- 3 handfuls sweetcorn or peas or go wild & add both
- A couple of splashes milk for the mash
- A couple of knobs butter for the mash and a bit for the top
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Put the fish pie mix into a pan and add 1 litre of milk. Simmer over a low to medium heat for around 5 minutes. Turn the heat down if the milk starts to boil.
- Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cut into large chunks and put into a large pain of cold water. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down slightly and boil until soft and tender. This could be 12 to 16 minutes depending on the size and type of potato you are using.
- Using a slotted spoon, take the lumps out of fish out of the milk and set aside for use later.
- Put the oven on to preheat to 200 degrees. Now let's move on to the white sauce.
- Put the butter in a pan and melt it over a low-ish heat. When it has completely melted and is starting to fizz slightly, add the flour, one tablespoon at a time. Keep stirring it until the flour and butter are in a lovely soft paste, then add the next tablespoon of flour.
- Keep stirring the butter and flour 'paste' for a few minutes to allow the starch to cook. Keep stirring it; don't let it burn!
- Add the fish-flavoured milk to the 'paste', one ladleful at a time and stir, stir, stir like your life depends on it. This is no time for short-cuts!
- After each ladleful is mixed in and beautifully smooth, add the next one and repeat until all the milk is added. Continue to cook it, stirring all the time, until it comes to the boil. Turn it down to a simmer and cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and put to one side.
- Drain the cooked potatoes and, using some butter and a bit of milk, mash well. Feel free to add a bit of salt and pepper to this too. (Or some grated cheese if that floats your boat)
- The fish: if the lumps are a bit big, break them up slightly. Then put them in the bottom of a baking dish. Add a few handfuls of frozen peas or frozen sweetcorn, or both.
- Pour over the white sauce to about half way up the side of the dish and mix it up carefully. (Don't overfill the dish as you'll need to put the mash on next)
- Carefully add the mash potato topping. I start by filling in around the edges and work my way towards the centre. You're less likely to have a white sauce tsunami over the side if you do it like this.
- Add a few knobs of butter on the top.
- Pop in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until it has crunchy brown bits on the top. Yum!
- Serve with vegetables or with a simple, crunchy green salad.
1 Comment
Lovely recipe, my kids would love it. Thanks for sharing