These easy Fish Pot Pies are packed full of tender fish and a rich creamy sauce, then topped with a pastry disk and baked to golden perfection.
They can be made in advance or frozen ready for dinner next week. Easy to make, these Fish Pot Pies will be your new favorite comfort food.
Creamy British Fish Pie is the comfort food of my childhood and this twist on the classic is something I love to make for the whole family.
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Creamy Fish Pie
Let's talk pies! Especially Fish pie! Traditionally the British Fish Pie is topped with mashed potato, or cheesy mashed potato if my mum was making it. I love it like that but I don't know about you, midweek when the kids have after school clubs and we need dinner quickly, the thought of making mashed potato doesn't appeal. Yes, I know mashed potato isn't hard, but just that extra step could be the make or break point of our evening. So say hello to a pastry/pie crust topping!
The pastry makes this so much easier and it tastes good! Winner Winner Fish Pie Dinner!
The Puff Pastry Top
Puff pastry is amazing! Fluffy layers of crisp buttery pastry that puff up in the oven to give you a wonderful golden topping.
You can find ready rolled sheets of frozen puff pastry in the freezer section of the grocery store. Try and find the ones made with butter rather than margarine, they have a better flavor.
If you can't find puff pastry then a rolled sheet of pie crust will work too.
What fish to use in a fish pie
So this comes down to what you can find at the fishmongers or grocery store. You can use one type of fish, or mix it up and use 2 or 3 different types. You just want to ensure that you have 1.7lb/800g in total.
Really you can use any white fish for this pie. You want chunky pieces so go for something like:
- Cod
- Pollack
- Coley
- Haddock
- Hake
- Whiting
- Snapper
- Monkfish (my fav!!)
- Tilapia
- Salmon
- Shrimp/prawns (raw)
- Smoked haddock/cod
If you can find smoked fish then adding some into the mixture really ads so much great flavor. But don't make the pie with all smoked fish as this can be overpowering.
You can use frozen fish, just ensure it has been defrosted and patted dry before you use it.
The fish doesn't need to be cooked before you add it to the sauce. This will help keep it tender as your pie cooks.
How to make the creamy sauce
The sauce is a mixture of broth and cream cheese! This gives it a great flavor, and also means it has lower calories than a traditional heavy cream/double cream sauce.
To make the creamy sauce, start by cooking off some onion and garlic in butter. Once these have softened, stir through some flour and slowly add the broth (I like to use seafood or shrimp stock, but vegetable will work too). This will thicken to a glossy sauce. It will be very thick. Don't worry. This is what we want! You can see in the photo above just how thick my sauce is.
To this hot sauce, the cream cheese is added and it will melt and turn into a thick creamy sauce. Add your frsh herbs and the mixture of ready for your ramakins.
TOP TIP: The sauce needs to be very very thick, this is because as the pie cooks some liquid will be released from the fish and this will thin the sauce slightly.
Do you cook the fish for fish pie?
Traditionally the fish is poached in milk and then this milk is used to make the cream sauce. But in this quick mid-week adaption, the raw fish is combined with the sauce and this is all baked together. This means the pie is quicker to make and there is less danger of the fish becoming dry and overcooked.
Cutting the fish
The fish wants to be cut into quite large bite-sized chunks (around 2"/5cm) this helps the fish stay together in the pie, so you get nice bites of fish rather than small flakes. The fish will shrink slightly as it cooks.
Can I add vegetables to a fish pie?
Yes! I leave the veg out and serve it on the side, but if you want to incorporate the veg into the pie, then go for it.
Veg you could add include:
- Peas
- Corn
- Carrot cubes
- Celery slices
- Asparagus
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
I would add around ½ a cup of vegetables to the pies.
Other Fish recipes you may love:
- Fish Burger with Charred Lettuce and Tarragon Mayo
- Quick and Easy Thai Fish
- Prosciutto Maple Salmon
- Pan Seared Salmon with Creamy Lemon Pasta
- Creamy Lemon Salmon Pasta
- Seared Salmon with Peas and Chorizo
- Prawn Kare Lomen
Enjoy x
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Easy Creamy Fish Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion - finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ⅓ cup AP flour
- 1 ½ cups broth/stock - see note 1
- ½ cup cream cheese (softened) - see note 2
- 1.7 lb fish - see note 3
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 tablespoon milk - to glaze pastry (see note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 390ºF/200ºC.
- Heat the oil in large frying pan and add the chopped onion.
- Sauté the onion for 2 minutes until softened.
- Add the flour to the onion and stir well, then cook for a minute.
- Combine the broth/stock and cream cheese, then slowly pour it over the onion mixture.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes until very thick.
- Remove the pan from the heat then add in the fish chunks, lemon juice, herbs and seasonings.
- Use the top of one of your ramekin to cut out 4 disks from the pastry sheet.
- Spoon the fish mixture into the 4 ramekins and top each with a pastry disk.
- Use a sharp knife to pierce the top of each pie and then use a pastry brush to glaze the top of each pie with a little bit of milk.
- Bake the pies for 20-25 minutes until golden and puffed up.
Notes
- I tend to use my homemade shrimp stock for this recipe but you can use seafood stock or vegetable broth for this recipe.
- I use low fat cream cheese here. Just ensure it has come to room temperature so it is soft and will melt easily.
-
You can use one type of fish, or mix it up and use 2 or 3 different types. You just want to ensure that you have 1.7lb/800g in total. See the bulk of the post for a longer list of great fish ideas. But some great choices are:
- Cod
- Pollack
- Haddock
- Shrimp/prawns (raw)
- Smoked haddock/cod
- You can use milk or a beaten egg to glaze the top of your pot pies.
Pete says
Sounds great, do you freeze it uncooked or should it be baked 1st then frozen?
Claire McEwen says
Hi Pete,
I freeze them uncooked and then defrost before cooking.
Hope that helps
Cx
Jennifer says
Can I use scallops in addition to cod for this dish?
Claire McEwen says
Hi Jennifer, I haven't tried it with scallops, but I think they would work really well!
Let me know if you try it 🙂
Cx
Gillian says
Hi would like to make this for a party can i prepare before hand
Gillian
Claire McEwen says
hi Gillian, you can make these in advance and then just keep them in the fridge until you want to cook them.
Hope that helps
Cx
Eric D Williams says
What size Ramekins are you referencing for the 4 servings? I'm guessing 13 oz, but I can't be sure based on the volume of the ingredients. Any help?
Claire McEwen says
Hi Eric,
I have 13oz ones and 14oz ones and I tend to use the 13oz ones and really pack in the fish.
Hope that helps
Cx
Eric D Williams says
That's perfect. Thank you!
Erin W says
Hi! How would I modify this to make a large casserole instead of individuals? Thank you!
Claire McEwen says
Hi Erin,
I haven't tried it as a large casserole, but if I was to try, I think I would make the recipe exactly the same way, but you might need to roll the puff pastry a little thinner to make it fit the casserole dish.
Also check the pie at 20-25 minutes, if it is looking golden then stick a knife or skewer in to check the middle is hot. The larger dish may mean it needs a little longer to be fully hot in the middle. (You can always cover the pastry with foil if it is starting to look golden before the inside is hot)
But all that said, I wouldn't stress, 25 minutes is long enough to cook the fish, so just make sure the filling is hot and you'll be good.
Hope that helps 🙂
Cx
georgie says
this looks beautiful can't wait to try it, I love a good fish pot pie!
Sues says
I love making chicken pot pie, but I've never made fish pot pie- what a delicious idea!I love the idea of using a couple different types of fish!
Eva says
This looks and sounds so yummy! There was a fish casserole I used to eat when I was an exchange student in Norway and this gives me the feeling might taste pretty similar. I love it that this is single-serve, though. Definitely trying this soon!
Corina Blum says
Fish pie is such a great comfort food recipe! These ones look so appetising too and perfect for putting in the freezer for later.
Ben says
That looks really good. I love pot pie, I make it all the time. I've never tried making it with fish, though.
Claire McEwen says
Oh I do hope you give these a try then, fish pie is a childhood favorite of mine.
Cx