Fish pie
- Energy Kcal 576
- Carbohydrates g 45.1
- of which sugars g 3.2
- Protein g 20.9
- Fats g 34.7
- of which saturated fat g 16.21
- Fiber g 2.6
- Cholesterol mg 138
- Sodium mg 416
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 40 min
- Cook time: 45 min
- Serving: 8
- Cost: Average
- Note plus the resting time for the shortcrust pastry
PRESENTATION
Fish pie, you know, is this classic English dish with a Mediterranean twist. And look, instead of the usual chicken filling in Anglo-Saxon pies, this fish pie recipe shakes things up with diced hake. Really soaks up all the creamy flavor from the béchamel sauce. Seriously good. The sauce? It's richer, using fish stock, so every bite is just extra moist and has that fresh-from-the-sea vibe.
Thing is, this version adds cherry tomatoes and black olives to the mix—these give a tangy hit that’s not your typical traditional fish pie thing. It's like the best of British comfort food meets bold, sunny Mediterranean flavors. All wrapped up in that familiar pie shape. Pretty simple.
And here's the thing, this easy fish pie isn't just for big Sunday dinners. It's perfect as a main course for family gatherings or even part of a buffet. Pretty much works at any temp. The fish pie recipe vibe is all about layering—fish, tomatoes, olives. Then let that golden pie crust and tender filling bake together until it’s bubbling and crispy on top.
Compared to the usual mashed potato topping in many British fish pie recipes, this version feels lighter but still super comforting. You still get that creamy seafood filling and all those fresh flavors, plus, a Mediterranean twist that keeps things interesting. Whether you call it a seafood pie, fisherman’s pie, or just a baked fish casserole, it’s one of those meals that brings people together. Makes any occasion feel special without a ton of fuss. Seriously. It's the kind of dish that reminds you of cozy gatherings, where everyone’s enjoying the flavorful combo and sharing stories over a really, really good meal.
You might also like:
INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry (for a tin with a diameter of 10.63 inches)
- Butter 0.875 cup (200 g) - (cold from the fridge)
- Type 00 flour 3 ¼ cups (400 g)
- Water 9 ½ tbsp (140 ml) - (chilled)
- for the filling
- Hake 1.3 lbs (600 g) - (cleaned fillet)
- Fresh scallion 1 ¼ cup (100 g)
- Black olives 1.67 cups (200 g) - pitted
- Cherry tomatoes 1 cup (200 g)
- Thyme 6 sprigs
- Dill 6 sprigs
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- for the béchamel
- Fish fumet 1 ¾ cup (400 ml)
- Butter 3 tbsp (40 g)
- Type 00 flour 0.3 cup (40 g)
- Dill 2 sprigs
- Thyme 2 sprigs
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
How to prepare Fish pie
To prepare the fish pie, start with the Chicken pie: put the flour, cold butter from the fridge cut into pieces 1, a pinch of salt into the blender and blend everything until you get a sandy and floury mixture 2. At this point, place the obtained mixture on a pastry board in the classic fountain shape and knead everything quickly by adding cold water little by little 3 until you get a compact, firm, and fairly elastic dough.
Once ready, shape it into a loaf 4 and wrap it with a sheet of kitchen film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 40 minutes. In the meantime, put the diced butter in a small pot 5, let it melt and add the flour 6,
blend it with a whisk 7 and then pour in the fish stock 8, cook until thickened over low heat, salt 9
finally add dill, thyme, and pepper 10. Set the béchamel aside and take care of cleaning the hake: make a cut on the belly and proceed straight until under the head 11, then collect the innards with your hands and remove them. Wash the fish's belly well under running water to remove all traces of blood. Cut the fins with special scissors, with the fish filleting knife cut the head and remove it, then cut along the dorsal part of the fish along the spine 12, starting from the top, and proceed by moving the blade horizontally to the work surface,
to separate the two fillets 13. Finally, detach the meat from the skin 14. Remove any bones with kitchen tweezers, then coarsely chop the hake 15.
wash and cut the cherry tomatoes into wedges 16, wash and slice the spring onion 17 transfer it to a pan with a drizzle of oil 18 and sauté over moderate heat
add dill and thyme 19 and then add the chopped hake 20, cook for 2 minutes then flavor the fish with thyme and dill 21,
also add the cherry tomato wedges 22, salt, pepper and continue cooking for another 6 minutes, then turn off the heat and incorporate the sauce 23 mix with the spatula to blend it 24
and then also add the black olives 25. Take the shortcrust pastry loaf, divide it into two equal parts (keep half of the pastry aside wrapping it with film), roll out the other half with a rolling pin into a round sheet 0.08–0.12 inches thick, about 11.81 inches wide 26, lightly flour the work surface to prevent the sheet from sticking. Butter a wavy-edged baking pan with a diameter of 10.63 inches 27.
Roll the sheet onto the rolling pin and then unroll it onto the baking pan 28, adhere the dough to the bottom and its edges with a light pressure of your hands, cut off the excess dough along the entire perimeter of the baking tin 29, prick the bottom with the tines of a fork 30
pour the hake filling into the mold 31 and brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg 32, roll out the leftover dough into another sheet like the first 33,
wrap it on the rolling pin and spread it over the baking tin, press on the edges with the rolling pin to adhere the sheet and remove the excess dough 34. With the leftover dough, make shapes with cookie cutters; we chose shells 35 and little fish 36,
then brush the surface of the pie with the beaten egg with milk 37 and attach the dough shapes. Also brush these latter with the beaten egg 38. Bake the fish pie in a preheated static oven at 356°F for 45 minutes, then at 338°F for another 20 minutes (if a fan oven, at 320°F for 35 minutes and then at 302°F for 10 minutes). Remove the fish pie from the oven and let it cool before serving 39.