Tilly’s Fish Pie

[Vagus]

Tilly, I think I remember you saying you make a lovely fish pie and I was wondering if you’d be able to point me in the direction of the recipe you use please. Or if you don’t use a recipe, perhaps you could just give me an idea of how you do yours.
I’ve never made one but have two packs of ‘fish pie mix’ in the freezer just waiting to be used. There are many recipes out there but I’d much prefer a personal recommendation.
If anyone else has a tried and trusted fish pie recipe too, that’d also be great.
Thank you.

[ummmm]

I'd start with a simple one like this and then adjust it to your taste. I infuse the milk to make the roux with onions, black pepper corns and poach the smoked haddock in it. Very easy and tasty.

[ummmm]

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/family-meals-easy-fish-pie-recipe

[Buenchico]

You've got a very long memory, Vagus!

It was back in May of 2014 that Tilly2 was having problems with her oozing fish pie:
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Food-and-Drink/Question1336029.html

It took her 10 months to consider that putting it into a bigger dish might be all that's needed to solve the problem:
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Question1404828.html

. . . and a further 3 months before she actually found a bigger dish for it!
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Question1440375.html

Alas, we were never provided with a recipe though :(

While you're waiting to see how she does it, you might care to check out the BBC Good Food website. All of the recipes there have been star-rated by people who've actually tried them. Further, if you click through to the details for a recipe and then scroll to the foot of the page, many of them have useful comments added as well:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/fish-pie-recipes

[david small]

Good old Chris ever helpful. A star.

[Smowball]

When my back is better I’m going to do a whole days batch cooking, including favourites like fish pie, curry, spag Bol etc and stick all in chest freezer. Am sick of trying to think up ideas every night lol so might as well do a crash day of cooking x

[ummmm]

I'm rubbish at storing stuff in the chest freezer. It just ends up a mess :-)

I've been banned from buying anything but fridge food.

I got sick of trying to look through it so just grabbed some duck breasts.

[ummmm]

I fancy fish pie now though.

[Smowball]

My appetite is so poor tho, but Mr Smow has a massive appetite, so I can just freeze meals in foil dishes and if I fancy a tiny portion I’ll have one, if not then he can eat it all lol. I’d happily live on yoghurts, soups and protein shakes!

[diddlydo]

For fish pie just google "fish pie" "mary berry" - brilliant recipe and very adaptable.
As for chest freezers - you need to be organised! Ours has separate cardboard boxes for raw meat/poultry, fish, fruit, veg and bread. The 3 top baskets are for home-cooked ready meals, sauces, gravy, soups etc. The last covid year has been brilliant for concentrating the mind on using up the odd bits and pieces that were lurking in the bottom of said freezer so it no longer contains items of dubious vintage!

[ummmm]

I do organise it. I use bags for life. The proper ones, not the plastic ones for 20p.

Like Smow, I've hurt my back and bending over to get stuff out really hurts. I'll have to wait for the weekend to organise it again when OH is home.

[roopower]

I'm afraid I'm really organised, besides having things in wire baskets everything that goes in the freezer gets written down in a book (also in types of food) with the date it has to be used by.

[Vagus]

Thanks everyone.
I read all the fish pie recipes online and couldn’t decide which would be nicest which is why I was asking Tilly for her recipe as she seemed to make one fairly frequently.
I think the basic BBC one is probably the one I’ll do if Tilly doesn’t see this thread.
Thanks again.

[bednobs]

I don't have a recipe as such - cook the onions in butter, sprinkle over some flour and a veg stock cube, add some milk till its the thickness you wantthen bung some mash over the top

[Vagus]

Bednobs, the one and only time I tried to make a fish pie I did something similar, thinking it would be fine. I just threw stuff together and hoped for the best.
It was awful, so this time I thought I’d follow a recipe.
I wondered about using a fish jelly stock thing in the sauce, or would that make it too fishy? Is the sauce a cheese sauce or just a savoury white sauce?? Can I use creme fraiche instead of making sauce???
It’s a minefield ;)

[bednobs]

I don't make it often enough to answer any of you questions im afraid. I used to cook it for both my girls when they were weaning, but now nobody in this house likes fish except me (and I don't like mash!)

[Tilly2]

Good morning all!
Chris, thanks for all those links to my previous posts. I enjoyed reading them. :-) Cheered me up, they did.

Vagus, I haven't got time, at the moment, to reply properly so I'll get back to you later today when I have a don't have to rush off.
It's really nothing too special but we like it and it works .

[theshedman]

The one thing I learned from making a fish pie is from Mary Berry when she said to make the white sauce a bit thicker than you think it should be as juice will come from the fish. If you make it so you think it will be right then it will come out like water or at least be a lot thinner than you want.

[Vagus]

Oh I’m so glad you’ve seen this Tilly, thanks for your response. Any time you have a spare minute would be great, I’d really appreciate it.
I don’t have plans to make one at least until the weekend, possible next week.
(Those links Chris put up made me smile too).

[Tilly2]

Cooee! My famous fish pie non-recipe coming up. (With the disclaimer that I don't follow a recipe and have no ideas of quantities.)
Ingredients.


Boil/steam and mash the potatoes and leave to go cold. (I usually do mine in the morning for a fish pie at dinner.

Poach your chosen fish/mix in approximately half a pint of milk until it becomes opaque and almost done.

Flake the fish into a bowl, cover and leave. Reserve the poaching milk.

Make your sauce using the poaching milk. I cheat and use Colman's fish pie mix, done in the microwave. :-)

Let the sauce go cool but cover the surface of the jug with cling film to stop a skin forming.

Warm up oven to 180 degrees, meanwhile assemble the pie.
Place the flaked fish into a fairly large casserole dish. Sprinkle with a two tablespoons of tinned or defrosted sweetcorn and thawed, drained frozen spinach if desired. Season well.
Spread the mashed potato on top, dot with butter and finally...smash up a packet of ready salted crisps and sprinkle the crumbs over the potato.

Bake in the oven for approx an hour but keep an eye out for a possible ooze. (I put an enamel plate under mine. It's easier to wash than a burnt baking tray.)

[Tilly2]

I forgot to list the ingredients! Time for a cup of tea.