English Fish Pie

So I'm convinced anything in pie form is gonna be delicious...

This recipe actually all started when we were checking out restaurants one evening (yes, I am a major restaurant creeper - I am a total Yelp and Urbanspoon junkie) and we came across this British Pub called The Black Labrador. Usually pub food is pretty predicable - Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash all the usual suspects but this menu was very diverse and offered some semi freaky items like Scotched Beef, Sole in it's Coffin, annnnd English Fish Pie!

One thing I appreciated about this pie is you don't have to fuss with a crust and instead use mash potatoes, so it's sort of like a seafood version of Shepard's Pie...

I looked around at a couple of recipes online and all of them poached the fish pre-bake which I didn't think was necessary considering that fish only takes about 5 minutes to cook. Instead, I just heated the milk and poured it over the diced fish and veggies and the heat from the milk pretty much cooked the fish halfway, and then it finished out cooking in the oven.

This recipe is also very versatile, I happen to utilize all the leftover bits in my fridge and it turned out really delicious but you can use any type of white fish or vegetables you have on hand (spinach, parsnips, tomatoes, or shrimp might be a nice addition).

English Fish Pie

serves 4-5

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver

4-5 medium large potatoes, washed, diced small and boiled until tender (you could peel them if you don't like the skins)
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 cup unsalted canned corn
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBS olive oil
2 large white fish fillets such as Swai, cut into bite sized chunks
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups full fat milk (or I mixed half and half with 1%)
1 TBS flour
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. After you boil the potatoes in salted water, drain and mash in a bowl adding olive oil, salt & pepper and milk as needed. Set aside.

2.In a large sauce pan add olive oil and saute onions for 4-5 min. on medium heat. Add garlic and cook until translucent (about 3-4 more min)

3.Add carrots and celery and saute for 5-10 more minuets (you may need to add more oil at this time) until carrots begin to soften. Add salt, pepper, herbs (except bay leaf) and corn and mix thoroughly. Remove and place in mixing bowl. Place raw fish chunks on top.

4.In the same sauce pan you used for the veggies, add milk. Heat on medium low heat, stirring regularly. Add bay leaf. Once milk has reached a warm temp, add flour and stir then add cheese and mix until melted. Carefully remove bay leaf. Pour milk over chopped fish and veggies. Mix well.

5.To assemble, in a large baking pan, layer fish and veg mix then top with potatoes. Bake for 30-40 min. or until potatoes turn slightly brown on top.

This pie was so comforting and delicious! It had all the flavors of a classic chicken pot pie.

We'll probably check out The Black Labrador soon and see how their pie hold up - stay tuned for a restaurant review!