Fish pie is a traditional British dish. The pie is usually made with white, often smoked, fish (for example cod, haddock or halibut) in a white sauce or cheddar cheese sauce made using the milk the fish was poached in. Prawns and hard boiled eggs are other common additional ingredients. It is oven-baked in a deep dish but is not usually made with the shortcrust or puff pastry casing that is associated with most savoury pies (e.g. steak and kidney pie).
In place of a pastry casing enclosing the pie, a topping of mashed potatoes (sometimes with cheese or vegetables such as onions and leeks added) is used to cover the fish during baking. The dish is sometimes referred to as "fisherman's pie" because the topping is similar to that of shepherd's pie, in that it uses mashed potatoes.
Royal fish pie
The royal seafood tradition of England started in the time of Henry I, crowned in 1100, when cooks rolled crust over an annual Christmas lamprey pie. A separate tradition of Lenten fish pie required Yarmouth cooks to send the king two dozen pies containing 100 herrings. The customary gifts of fish in crust prevailed in 1530, when the prior of Llanthony, Gloucester, baked eels and carp into a pie for Henry VIII. The presentation of the royal eel pie continued in 1752, when bakers sent one to the Prince of Wales, and again during Queen Victoria's reign.
Gallery
See also
- Stargazy pie
- Shepherd's pie, an unrelated meat-based dish which also uses potato instead of pastry.
- List of pies, tarts and flans
Notes
References
- Murdoch (2004) Essential Seafood Cookbook Pies, casseroles and bakes, pp. 254â€"295. Murdoch Books. ISBN 9781740454124.
External links
- How to cook perfect fish pie The Guardian, 27 January 2011.
- Recipes for luxury fish pie and fisherman's pie from the BBC Food website.
