Tis the season of comfort food and it doesn’t get more comfortable than this Smoked Haddock Pie. This dish features a rich and creamy béchamel sauce studded with chunks of smoked haddock, tender green peas, shallots, and a host of herbs baked under a lid of buttery mashed potatoes. I piped the potatoes into rosettes and studded them with peas for a little festive flair. This step is technically optional, but if you’re anything like me, it really isn’t. I can’t say no to a little retro charm. So let’s dive right in!
Fish pies are traditional British fare. While the pies’ particular origins are unknown, it is thought that they were developed to make better use of scraps of fish left over from trimming the more lucrative fillets and steaks. The dish is sometimes called Fisherman’s Pie because of the mashed potato lid it shares with Shepherd’s Pie. While fish pies were traditionally consumed on Fridays and during Lent, today’s pies appear on numerous pub menus and kitchen tables all through the year.
Fish pies can contain smoked or fresh seafood or a combination of both. I used Smoked haddock in this dish because it is very nostalgic for me. My grandmother always made her fish pie and fish cakes with smoked haddock, so as far as I’m concerned, it is a must. If you can’t find smoked haddock or you’re simply not a fan, feel free to substitute it for fresh haddock or really any fish you fancy. This recipe would be incredible with fresh salmon for instance. Or you could take it in a more general seafood direction and add some shrimp or bay scallops to the mix. There are really no wrong answers here.
So how do we make this vintage-inspired beauty? Well, it all starts, as many recipes do, with a pan and a little olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering stir in the shallots and a pinch of salt. Sweat the shallots until translucent. Stir in some minced garlic and sauté for a little longer before transferring the shallots and garlic to a bowl. We’ve now seasoned the pan with delicious shallot and garlic essence. And on this flavourful base, we’re going to build our roux.
Place butter in the skillet and leave it to melt and get frothy. Whisk in flour to form a roux. We’re adding a little more flour to our béchamel because we want it to be a thick béchamel. Peas, seafood, and fish tend to express a fair amount of liquid as they cook. So we want to start with an overly thick sauce, so it can take and benefit from the extra moisture.
Slowly whisk some dry white wine into the roux, followed by some milk. Again, I’m adding a little less milk than I ordinarily would because I want a stronger béchamel. Once all the milk is in and the sauce is smooth as silk, whisk in a dollop of Dijon mustard and a few shavings of fresh nutmeg. Stir in your smoked haddock and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the peas, dill, and parsley and simmer until the peas lose their chill. We’re not looking to fully cook anything at this point because that’s what the oven is for. Fish is delicate, so we don’t want to cook the heck out of it before introducing it to a hot oven for 25 minutes.
Pour the finished sauce into a greased 9” oval baking dish. This Smoked Haddock Pie is a little on the smaller side. It will handily feed two but it can feed four if you have some hearty sides. Set the dish aside to cool while you shift your focus to the potatoes. Peel two large Russet potatoes and cut them into chunks. Pile the spuds into a pot and cover them with cold water. Place over high heat and bring the water up to a boil. Liberally salt the water and continue to boil for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fall-apart tender. We want them to be very soft because we want a very smooth mash. Why? Because piping nozzles really hate chunks.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and transfer them to a ricer. Squeeze them into a large bowl. Ordinarily, I don’t get too hung up on kitchen equipment. Generally, I think you can make amazing things with very little. But in this case and frankly, in most mashed potato-related cases, a ricer is warranted. You simply will not get a smoother mashed potato. You just won’t.
To your riced potatoes, add some butter, and a couple of cloves of garlic very finely minced. If you have a garlic press, this is the time to use it. Pour in some milk and mash everything together until very smooth. Add an egg yolk and whisk it into the mashed potatoes. The egg will help the potato brown and reinforce its shape. And what a shape it is. Fit a piping bag with a star-tipped nozzle. Fill the bag with the mashed potatoes and pipe a series of rosettes on top of the now-cooled smoked haddock filling. Pop the Smoked Haddock Pie in the oven and bake until golden and bubbly. I recommend placing a baking sheet underneath the pie to catch any drips.
Take the pie out of the oven and stud the tips of the potato rosettes with steamed peas. Give the peas a light press to make them adhere to the potatoes without cracking them. Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before digging in and that’s it! Serve the pie with a nice side salad, some British-style chips, and a pint of beer.
Enjoy!
Smoked Haddock Pie
Equipment
- 1 9" oval baking dish
- 1 Large skillet
- 1 Large pot
- 1 ricer optional
- 1 garlic press optional
- 1 Large Piping Bag optional
- 1 large star-tip nozzel optional
Ingredients
Smoked Haddock Bechamel
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 shallots sliced into half-moons
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1⅔ cups whole milk
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ⅛ tsp Freshly grated nutmeg **
- 1 fillet smoked haddock *** cut into cubes
- 1⅓ cups frozen peas
- ⅓ cup fresh dill finely chopped
- ⅓ cup flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
Mashed Potato Lid
- 2 large Russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic very finely minced ****
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into cubes
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg yolk
To Assemble
- 12-14 cooked peas optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9" oval baking dish with butter and set it aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the shallots and lower the heat to low. Stir in a pinch of salt and sweat the shallots until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute more. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots and garlic to a bowl and set it aside.
- Place the butter in the skillet and let melt until foamy. Whisk in the flour to form a roux. Slowly whisk in the white wine followed by the milk. Stir in the Dijon mustard and nutmeg.
- Return the shallots and garlic to the bechamel and add the smoked haddock. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the fish begins to flake. Stir in the peas, dill, and parsley. Simmer until the peas are warmed through. Taste and season with salt accordingly. Transfer the sauce to your prepared baking dish and set it aside to cool.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water up to a boil and liberally salt it. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes fall apart when pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a ricer. Rice the potatoes into a large bowl. Add the garlic, butter, milk, and salt. Mash everything together and add the egg yolk. Stir to combine.
- Transfer the potatoes to a piping bag fitted with a star-tipped nozzle. Pipe the potatoes into rosettes on top of the smoked haddock filling. Transfer the pie to the oven and bake until golden and bubbling. About 20-25 minutes. *****
- Immediately dot the rosettes with the peas, pressing lightly to make them adhere without cracking the potatoes. Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before spooning it into bowls and serving.
