Fish Pie

This creamy, cozy fish pie recipe is perfect for a laid-back dinner with friends and family! Packed with healthy omegas, it’s a recipe we know the whole family will enjoy.

In this pie, we’ve used wild Canadian seafood sourced from two amazing long-time female fishers in BC: the sockeye salmon was caught by Toan Thi La, and the lingcod was caught by Pilar Martinelli and her husband, Bruce. We encourage you to buy local and support our female fishers this International Women’s Day (and every day!) by exploring new and delicious recipes like this!

Ingredients

Fish:

• Approx. 1lb sockeye salmon full side portion, cut into portioned fillets
• Approx. 1lb lingcod portioned fillet
• 3 cups milk
• 1 brown onion, quartered 
• 4 cloves

White Sauce:

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 2 small celery sticks, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup plain flour
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Pie & Potato Topping:

• 1.5 lb potatoes, peeled and diced into chunks
• 2 tbsp+ unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Finely chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

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Directions

Fish:

1. Cut your onion into 4 quarters, ending the cut slightly above the stem to hold it together (should look a little like a flower). Push a clove into the skin of each quarter. Place in a pot or large skillet, add milk and push the onion down to help submerge. Turn the stove onto medium-high heat.
2. When the milk is barely simmering, add the fish. Don’t worry if it's not entirely covered, it can be turned/moved around. 
3. Poach fish for 7 minutes or until just cooked through, then use a slotted spoon to transfer fish straight into a medium baking dish. You can poach it with the skin on.
4. Flake into chunks using forks. Remove skin as needed.
5. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion and cloves from the milk and discard them. Reserve the milk.
6. Preheat oven to 350F. 

Sauce:

1. Begin boiling the water for the potatoes in a large pot.
2. Melt butter in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for approx a minute until softened and fragrant. Add celery and carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add flour and mix in until a paste forms.
4. Add half of the reserved milk from the poached fish and mix until it starts to thicken. Then add the remaining milk and stir.
5. Turn the heat up to medium and keep stirring until the mixture thickens. Then, remove from heat and stir through parmesan, tarragon and parsley. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Pie:

1. In a large shallow skillet or oven dish, scatter the flaked fish. Top with the frozen peas, then pour over the sauce. Stir gently to incorporate, but be careful not to over-stir (you don’t want the fish to turn to mush).

Pie & Mashed Potato:

1. Once the water has boiled, add your potatoes and cook until tender. You can do this while making the sauce.
2. Drain the potatoes, then add butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Mash until creamy.
3. While warm, spread your mash over the top of the pie filling. Use a fork to add lines to the top of the mashed potatoes. This texture will help the pie crisp up and look golden.
4. Sprinkle the top of the pie with parmesan, then bake for approximately 35 minutes or until the top is golden.
5. Garnish with additional parmesan or parsley if desired, then serve alongside your favourite veggies and enjoy!
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Notes

• This recipe also works beautifully with a combination of fresh fillets and tinned fish! The fresh sockeye salmon fillet can be swapped out for tinned smoked sockeye salmon.

Taste the Skipper Otto difference today! Dive into our unique model and how it works, and learn more about small-scale, independent fishing families.