Hairy Bikers Fish Pie Recipe

Three different fish go into this Hairy Bikers fish pie, which is why Perfect Pies calls it a truly fabulous one. And it serves 6 at 1085 calories a portion, taking 85 minutes from cold.

The book calls it “decadent” and admits it “does take a while to put together”, though nothing in it is difficult. So they suggest a rainy Saturday afternoon for it, which is a fair warning about the four separate pans.

The fish only gets 2 minutes in the milk before the pan comes off the heat, because it finishes cooking in the oven. And that same milk becomes the sauce, so nothing you poached in gets poured away.

Hairy Bikers Fish Pie Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 40 minutesCook time: 45 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:1 hour 25 minutesServings:6 servingsCalories:1085 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Cod, smoked haddock and salmon poach together in milk with onion and bay leaves. Then the infused milk is thickened with butter and flour into a dill sauce, layered up with the fish and halved boiled eggs. And cheesy mash goes over the top before the whole thing bakes for three quarters of an hour.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 600ml whole milk
• 1 medium onion, cut into sixths with the root end intact
• 2 bay leaves
• 500g thick white fish fillets, such as cod, haddock or pollock
• 500g smoked haddock fillet, undyed if possible
• 500g thick salmon fillet
• 6 medium eggs (optional)
• 75g butter
• 75g plain flour
• 3 tbsp white wine
• 100ml double cream
• Small bunch of fresh dill, about 15g
• Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cheesy mash topping

• 1.25kg medium potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized pieces
• 75g butter, cut into cubes
• 75ml double cream
• 150g mature Cheddar, coarsely grated

Instructions

1. Poach the fish: pour 600ml whole milk into a large pan with 1 onion in sixths and 2 bay leaves. Season it with salt and pepper, then add 500g white fish, 500g smoked haddock and 500g salmon. And bring it to a very gentle simmer, then cover and cook for 2 minutes. Then take it off the heat and leave it to infuse for 5 minutes.
2. Drain and keep the milk: tip the fish into a colander set over a bowl, then pour the milk into a jug. And set the fish aside while you make the mash.
3. Make the cheesy mash: boil 1.25kg of peeled potatoes for 15 minutes until soft, then drain them and return them to the pan. Then mash with 75g butter, 75ml double cream and three quarters of 150g grated mature Cheddar, and season.
4. Boil the eggs: heat the oven to 200C, fan 180C, gas 6, then boil 6 eggs for 9 minutes. And cool them under running water then in very cold water, which stops a grey ring forming round the yolk.
5. Build the sauce: melt 75g butter in a saucepan and stir in 75g plain flour, then cook it for a few seconds. Then add the infused milk gradually with 3 tbsp white wine and 100ml double cream, stirring for 5 minutes until thick. And snip in a small bunch of dill, discarding the stalks.
6. Layer it up: spoon a third of the sauce into a 2 to 2.5 litre dish. Then scatter half the fish over it in chunky pieces, discarding the skin, onion and bay leaves. And add half the halved eggs, another third of the sauce, then repeat and finish with sauce.
7. Top and bake: spoon the mash over, working from the edges in, then fluff it with a fork. Then sprinkle over the last of the cheese and bake it on a tray for about 45 minutes. And it is ready when the top is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges.

FAQs

Which of their fish pies should I make?

Perfect Pies prints two, a simple one and a rich one, and the book ranks them itself. Because the everyday one is billed as “a lot quicker to make than our fabulous version and is almost as delicious”. So that one drops to a single white fillet with peas and prawns, and is the easy midweek version.

Is this the fish pie on BBC Food?

Not quite, and there are three of theirs on BBC. Because the one ranking highest is credited to their Mums Know Best series, and it serves 4 with prawns and no eggs at all. And their official site has a third called The Ultimate Fish Pie, while the pub version belongs to Best of British.

Where does the luxury fish pie come from?

Not from them, which catches a lot of people out. Because the luxe fish pie doing the rounds is BBC Good Food’s own, and the luxury one most people mean is James Martin’s. And Mary Berry has her own too, so if you wanted a posh three-fish one under their name, this fabulous one is it.

Is there a healthy or lighter version?

Yes, and it is hiding under a name with neither word in it. Because the Hairy Dieters book has a Quick Cod and Prawn Gratin at 287 calories, introduced as a lighter fish pie. So it takes breadcrumbs and Cheddar instead of mash, while their smoked haddock chowder and smoked haddock risotto skip a topping entirely.

Can I change the topping or leave the eggs out?

The eggs are marked optional in the book, so leaving out all 6 costs you nothing but a layer. And the Dieters book suggests scrunched filo pastry as a low-fat topping, though they use it on a chicken pie. So leeks in the mash is their other swap, which they recommend for bulking out a cottage pie.