Sustainable fish pie

Sustainable fish pie

James Martin uses pollack in his deliciously rich ocean pie - it's a great sustainable alternative to cod

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 10 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Put the milk, onion, cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns in a medium-sized pan, then slowly bring to the boil. Carefully add the fish into the hot milk, reduce the heat and poach for 6-8 mins, adding the prawns for the final 3 mins. Using a slotted spoon, lift the fish into a mediumsized ovenproof dish, strain the milk and set aside.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min. Gradually stir in the milk on a low heat so that it's fully incorporated into the sauce, then gently simmer for 5-10 mins until thickened. Finally, add the parsley, a pinch of nutmeg and some seasoning. Pour the sauce over the fish, then set aside.
  3. To make the mash, boil the potatoes until cooked, then drain well. Place the pan over the heat again, add the milk and butter, and mash until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  4. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Spoon the mash onto the fish mixture, spread out evenly, then rough up slightly with a spoon or a fork. Dot the pie with butter, then place in the oven for 35-40 mins until piping hot and golden on top. If you want it to be extra crisp on top, flash the pie under a hot grill at the end to get it nice and brown.
Try

POLLACK

James Martin says: "Of all the white round fish, pollack is the best sustainable alternative to cod. Like cod, pollack has lovely, big juicy flakes. I would go as far as to say that, when it is deep-fried, I don't think most people would notice the difference between the two."

PER SERVING

435 kcalories, protein 36g, carbohydrate 37g, fat 16 g, saturated fat 9g, fibre 3g, sugar 6g, salt 0.9 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2012.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Lynnze

    20 January 2012

    Lynnze rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    bit bland, even though I added salmon. Couldn't get pollack, so used pouting on recommendation of fishmonger. Next time I would add some smoked fish and top with some cheddar cheese, but easy to do and nice comfort food.

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  • Binder photo Jodie Rees

    21 January 2012

    Jodie Rees rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Subtle flavours, think I could have seasoned more. I think smoked fish would have helped. I couldn't get pollock so used nile perch instead which worked very well. The prawns were lovely in it. And the best thing is that my toddler enjoyed it - my toughest critic! Would make again.

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  • Binder photo mother*ship

    27 January 2012

    mother*ship rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Loved this, simple but tasty, I used salmon and prawns because that's what I had to hand, serve with green veg to get perfect comfort food.

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  • Binder photo Frantic Flapjack

    30 January 2012

    Frantic Flapjack rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    After reading the above comments about it being a bit bland, I made sure I seasoned everything well and also added a spoon of grainy mustard to the sauce to give it some depth. Also mixed in some grated Cheddar to the mash potato and sprinkled some on top before I put it in the oven. The end result was lovely. Served with the braised lettuce and peas.

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  • Binder photo Plummy

    06 May 2012

    Plummy commented on this recipe

    This is a family favourite. I add cheese (cheddar and parmesan) and a teaspoon of English mustard to the sauce and season well. Usually do with a mixture of salmon, haddock and prawns. Even the fussy eater in the family will eat it.

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  • Binder photo yummy

    07 June 2012

    yummy commented on this recipe

    What can you use instead of full-fat milk?

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  • Binder photo Sandyshaw

    02 July 2012

    Sandyshaw rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Was lovely once I removed the spider that got into my mash when my back was turned !

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  • Binder photo Babka the Brave

    21 August 2012

    Babka the Brave rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I love fish and I live pie so I was ready for this to hit all my buttons but somehow I wasn't blown away. I'd read that it was a bit bland so I made lots of mods to the sauce (extra seasoning, onion chopped up and unstrained, mustard, garlic) but it was still a bit uninspiring. Perfectly nice just not sure it's worth all the fuss it takes to make it happen (3 pots + oven dish + one more for side veg = lots of mess). I've found the salmon, broccoli and potato bake from this site a ton easier and tastier.

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  • Binder photo wallyfrenchchef

    01 April 2013

    wallyfrenchchef rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Far to fidley to go to the effort. With all that washing up and cooking using all that electricity and water I'd say Its not exactly sustainable. Tasty but a little too much dairy in it making it very heavy.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 10 mins

Freezable

Ingredients

  • 500ml full-fat milk
  • ½ onion
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 700g pollack fillet, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 300g uncooked north Atlantic prawns , peeled
  • 50g butter , plus extra for dotting
  • 50g plain flour
  • small bunch parsley , chopped
  • pinch nutmeg

FOR THE MASH

  • 1kg floury potatoes
  • 50ml full-fat milk
  • 25g butter
  • pinch nutmeg
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PER SERVING

435 kcalories, protein 36g, carbohydrate 37g, fat 16 g, saturated fat 9g, fibre 3g, sugar 6g, salt 0.9 g

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