In gearing up for St. Patty’s Day, last week I made Irish scallops with leeks and peas. That dish I find to be a less traditional Irish dish… or, less common when deciding on an Irish dish to do for St. Patty’s Day?
In contrast, the fish pie is a dish I would find to be very Irish/British. But in America, I feel like fish pies are the most underrated Irish or British dish, which is really a shame because they’re so good! The concept is similar to a shepherd’s pie or cottage pie, but obviously with fish.
Generally, the fish is poached in milk or cream. To cut on calories, I opted for cashew milk because you just can’t tell the difference! Traditional fish pies use a simple white fish like cod, haddock, or flounder. Although all three fish are very similar, I personally prefer cod. I’m familiar with cooking it and I love the flavor. Arguably, cod is one of the easiest fish to cook with, but at the same time, very flakey fish can also be a bit troublesome to cook. Poaching them is very straightforward, and as I reserve the poaching milk for the cream sauce, any flaked off bits of fish won’t be lost!
I opted to add sea scallops to this fish pie also. I wanted a bit of the brininess they provide as well as the texture. There is something about the texture of scallops that I personally find quite pleasing. I threw them in the same pan as the cod to poach and then quartered them.
I added bacon to this dish pie, but not a lot of it. I wanted a bit of the saltiness it provides without being overbearing. I also added onions, leeks, chives, and scallions. Four different varieties of the onion family that each offer their own unique flavors. I find leeks very Irish/British. Maybe that’s just because I have them most often in that cuisine? Leeks lend a very subtle onion flavor with a hint of sweetness that makes cream sauces so delightful!
As this is a fish dish, it wouldn’t be complete without lemon zest and juice. Another reason I love using cashew or almond milk is that lemon juice never curdles it. Now, lemon juice doesn’t always curdle regular milk, but it does happen occasionally… and that’s the last thing you want to happen to your cream sauce when you’re halfway through cooking your dinner! I also add fresh dill, which again, I find to be such a nice compliment to a cream sauce and a fish dish!
I know a lot of recipes don’t make a roux for the sauce, but I like my sauce thicker… closer to a gravy. Making a roux is so simple, and in this case, I used the bacon grease. This created a perfectly creamy sauce that wasn’t runny like, well, milk. I want a pie, not a soup.
I kept the mashed potatoes pretty simple and the way I would normally prepare them for an easier mash dish. There are so many ways to “fanc-ify” your mash, but to me, I prefer a good dollop of butter, cream, a splash of milk and my go to savior, garlic salt.
For many dinners, we turn to the microwaveable mashed potatoes now sold in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. It’s not the gross boxed powdered potatoes. These are actually quite good. But, to bring those up a notch, I always had a dollop of butter and a good shake of garlic salt. However, for this dish, I made my mash from scratch. And trust me, using garlic salt rather than regular salt is a game changer!
And that’s it! This dish does take some coordination and having some help in the kitchen is always appreciated! And if you’ve never made a fish pie, this is a great recipe to start with! If you don’t like scallops, you can substitute them with shrimp or just skip them altogether!
Besides cooking the potatoes, I made this entire dish in a large cast iron skillet! It saved on casserole dishes and made things so much easier!
What’s your favorite seafood dish for St. Patty’s Day?
How to Make Traditional Fish Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Irish, British
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Filling
1 lb cod, bones and skin removed, cut into pieces to fit into a cast iron pan
8 sea scallops
1¾ cups milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk to cut on calories)
2 bay leaves
5 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
5 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 onion, diced
1 cup leeks, sliced
2 TBs chives, minced
5 – 6 scallions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
zest & juice of 1 lemon
1 TB fresh dill, minced
¼ cup flour
salt & pepper
Mashed Potatoes
4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” pieces
2 TBs butter
¼ cup heavy cream
3 TBs milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk here also)
garlic salt, to taste
Instructions
Add the potatoes to a large pot and fill with cold water and a generous sprinkling of salt. Place over a medium-high flame and partially cover. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary, or until the potatoes fall easily crumble when poked with a fork. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the butter, cream, and milk and sprinkle with garlic salt. Using a hand mixer or potato mashers, blend the potatoes until smooth. Taste and add additional seasoning as desired. Set aside.
Add the milk, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs to a large cast iron pan and lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the fish and scallops, evenly spreading them amongst the pan. Turn the flame to medium and cook for 10 minutes, reducing the heat slightly if it starts to boil to hard. Carefully remove the fish and scallops to a cutting board. Strain the milk through a fine mesh colander into a large bowl. Discard the thyme and bay leaves. Set aside. When the fish is cool enough to handle, flake into bite size pieces. Cut the scallops into quarters.
Preheat the oven to 400°F
Return the cast iron pan to a medium flame and add the bacon. Stirring frequently, cook until the bacon has just turn crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain off any excess fat, if necessary, leaving about 2 to 3 tablespoons of fat. Add the onions and lightly sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring often, until just starting to soften ~ about 6 minutes. Add the leeks, scallions, and garlic, cooking an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir to fully saturate. Take the milk used for cooking the fish and slowly add to the mixture, stirring constantly until fully incorporated. Add the chives, lemon zest and juice, and fresh dill. Return the fish and scallops to the pan. Stir to combine, season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired, and remove the pan from the heat.
Take the mashed potatoes and dollop them over the the fish filling. Carefully spread the potatoes over the top. If desired, use a fork to fluff up the potatoes. Place the pan in the oven and cook 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbling and lightly golden on top ~ you can place the cast iron pan under a broiler for a few minutes to create a darker golden brown on the potatoes, if desired.
Remove from the oven and serve. Enjoy!
Keywords: seafood saturday, fish pie, Irish fish pie, English fish pie, British fish pie, how to make a fish pie, fish pie with cod, fish pie with scallops
