recipetineats4.9
French Fish Pie
Recipe video above. This is a homestyle fish pie I like to make for Easter, one of my mother used to make for us. Chunks of white fish fillets slowly poached in creamy béchamel with fennel, leek and fresh dill then topped with mashed potato and baked until golden. Don't be surprised that it doesn’t call for a homemade fish stock, you’ll still get plenty of flavour from the fish itself and the fresh herbs.
👥 6 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h 40m⏳ Prep: 30 min🔥 Cook: 1h👤 Chef JB (RecipeTin)📖 recipetineats
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●saucepan
- ●oven
- ●skillet
- ●spatula
- ●pot
- ●blender
📝 Preparation Steps
1
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
2
Sauté onion, fennel, leek and garlic, add flour, wine, milk, cream, salt and pepper to make the sauce, stir in dill and add fish. Pipe on mashed potato. Spray olive oil. Bake for ⏱️ 35 minutes until golden. Rest ⏱️ 5 minutes, then serve.
(30g) unsalted butter2 tbspfennel (stalks cut off) (, diced 0.6cm / 0.2" (Note 2))1/2(30g) unsalted butter (, cold, cut in small cubes)2 tbspleek (, (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then cut into 2cm / 0.8" pieces)1fresh dill (, finely chopped (substitute with parsley or 1/2 tbsp tarragon))1 tbsp
3
FULL RECIPE:
4
First place potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer ⏱️ 25 minutes until very soft. You can start making the sauce while the potatoes are cooking.
5
Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan). I highly recommend placing a baking tray lined with foil at the bottom of your oven to catch any bubbling filling that may leak during baking. Easier to clean!
6
Season fish - Pat fish pieces dry with paper towels and sprinkle all sides with salt. Set aside.
7
Sauté vegetables - Heat oil and butter in a 26cm / 10" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel, leek and garlic. Cook ⏱️ 5 minutes until softened and light golden. Stirring regularly. (Note 5)
(30g) unsalted butter2 tbspfennel (stalks cut off) (, diced 0.6cm / 0.2" (Note 2))1/2(30g) unsalted butter (, cold, cut in small cubes)2 tbspleek (, (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then cut into 2cm / 0.8" pieces)1
8
Make sauce - Add flour, stir for ⏱️ 30 seconds. Pour in white wine. It will simmer rapidly at first, then mix it in, it will look pasty. Slowly pour in the HOT milk and cream while stirring. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cook ⏱️ 1 minute until thickened. The sauce should be quite thick, fully coating the back of the spoon then gently run down it. Set aside.
9
Finish mashed potato - (see instructions below).
10
Finish filling - Stir in dill. Add the fish pieces to the sauce, gently nestling them in so they’re mostly submerged. Then, using a spatula, carefully stir and move them around just enough to coat them in the sauce. Smooth the surface.
(30g) unsalted butter2 tbspfresh dill (, finely chopped (substitute with parsley or 1/2 tbsp tarragon))1 tbsp(30g) unsalted butter (, cold, cut in small cubes)2 tbsp
11
Potato topping - Pipe mounds of mashed potato swirls on the surface. My swirls have a 4.5cm base (1.6"), about 4cm tall (1.4"), then I fill gaps with small swirls/blobs. Make sure to use all the mash! Spray lightly with olive oil. (Note 6)
12
Bake - Bake ⏱️ 35 minutes, rotating halfway, until golden on top. If it's not golden enough, place it under the grill for a few minutes.
13
Serve - Rest for ⏱️ 10 minutes before serving to cool slightly and let the sauce thicken a bit more.
14
MASHED POTATO:
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Finish mash - Drain well. Pass through a potato ricer or return to the pot and mash well with a potato masher. Do not use a stick blender, it will overwork the starch, turning the mash gluey instead of fluffy. Add butter, salt and white pepper, stir until combined then add hot milk. Stir until smooth. It should be creamy but not loose (so it holds its shape when piped).
16
Piping bag - Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. (Note 7)
Nutrition Facts
calories
362 kcal
fat Content
12 g
serving Size
1 serving
fiber Content
3 g
sugar Content
2 g
sodium Content
737 mg
protein Content
20 g
trans Fat Content
0.3 g
cholesterol Content
57 mg
carbohydrate Content
41 g
saturated Fat Content
6 g
unsaturated Fat Content
5 g
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