Fish Pies & Fish Cakes

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Smoked and Spicy Fish Pie (Serves 6-8)

This is an unusual fish pie, not only has it got wonderful smoky, spiced flavours, but  it has a new potato topping rather than mash – and it’s more delicious for it. The recipe is from the duo behind restaurant ‘Wild by Tart’ in London (review here!). They originally catered for TV/ film crews and this fish pie was apparently a big hit!… Simply serve with a fresh, crunchy salad.

1.5kg smoked haddock, kippers and ‘hot smoked’ salmon. Skin and bones removed, slightly broken up into chunks.

Large knob of butter

4 bay leaves

3 leeks, sliced

4 garlic, finely chopped

2 fennel, sliced

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

250ml white wine

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 lemon, zest and juice

100g baby spinach

50g tarragon, remove the woody stalks, roughly chop the leaves

25g parsley, chopped

250ml crème fraiche

500g baby new potatoes

50g bread crumbs (gluten-free if required – I use ‘Esgir Gluten Free Crunchy Crumbs’)

100g gruyere, grated

25g sage, finely chopped

25g chives, finely chopped

Glug of olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

(*a large oven proof dish)

  1. Cut the potatoes in half. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the potatoes and lightly boil for about 15 minutes until they are cooked through. Strain, return to the pan and leave to one side.
  2. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat, add the leeks, garlic, bay leaves and fennel and sauté until they start to wilt and caramelise. Add the white wine and reduce for a minute or so.
  3. Add the cayenne pepper, mustard, lemon zest and juice, spinach, tarragon and parsley, stir to combine and allow the spinach to wilt. Then add the crème fraiche and remove from the heat.
  4. Toast the breadcrumbs by ‘frying’ them in a dry frying pan, leave to one side.
  5. Shake the pan with the potatoes in it roughly, so the potatoes break up slightly. Add the toasted breadcrumbs, cheese, sage, chives, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  6. Mix the fish into the crème fraiche mixture, carefully so not to break up too much, then place in the oven proof dish.
  7. Spoon over the potato mixture on top and place in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 20 minutes until it is cooked through in the centre.

Store Cupboard Fishcakes (Serves 4)

These fishcakes are really tasty and all the better for using ingredients which most of have to hand. I particularly love them as they are totally gluten free – they are crumbed in cornmeal rather than breadcrumbs. They make the perfect supper with a leafy salad and perhaps an couple of cherry tomatoes. This recipe is from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s book ‘Light and Easy’ – which totally sums up this recipe!

500g cold, cooked potato

250g tinned sardine (or mackerel) fillets in oil, drained

250g spring onions, finely sliced (or 2 onions, finely chopped)

2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Rapeseed or sunflower oil

8 tablespoons fine cornmeal

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Mash the potatoes roughly.
  2. Put the tinned fish into a bowl and mash with a fork to break up a little. Add the onions, capers, mashed potato and season with black pepper.
  3. Stir in the beaten eggs, mixing well.
  4. Divide the mixture into 8. Roll each portion into a ball and then squash into a cake.
  5. Heat a thin film of oil over the base of a frying pan over a medium heat.
  6. Put the cornmeal in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Carefully put a fishcake into the bowl and coat it with cornmeal then gently place in the frying pan. Cook for about 10 minutes turning once or twice until the cornmeal is crisp and golden and the cakes are piping hot through the middle. Repeat with the rest of the fishcakes – you will have to cook them in batches, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
  7. Serve straightaway with a good salad.

Potato and Smoked Mackerel Dauphinoise (Serves 3-4)

I used to make this recipe years ago, but as Felix grew older, I made it less as he isn’t a fan of mackerel. However, now that he is away at university I am a free to cook what I want, so this dish has recently reappeared on my cooking list! It’s a great midweek supper dish, as you literally throw everything in a dish and leave it in the oven for an hour! I serve it simply with rocket, drizzled with a quality olive oil. The recipe is from one of Nigel Slater’s original cookbooks, ‘Real Food’. If you’re feeling particularly hungry, from personal experience, I think that for four people you should double the recipe and make two dishes – you can always reheat the leftovers for lunch the next day!

450g waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte

225g smoked mackerel fillets

2 bay leaves

300ml double cream

200ml full fat cream

1 tablespoon grain mustard

(Rocket to serve)

  1. Wash the potatoes, there is no need to peel them, slice them lengthways (about 3mm thick).
  2. Put them in a shallow baking dish about 30cm in diameter. Break up the mackerel fillets into large bite-sized pieces (remove the skin), and toss them gently with the potatoes. Tuck in the bay leaves.
  3. Mix together the cream, milk, mustard and a little salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven, 190’c fan, for about an hour until the cream is bubbling and the potatoes are tender.
  5. Serve with some rocket drizzled with a quality olive oil.

Old Fashioned Fish Pie (Serves 4)

This is a great, simple midweek fish pie recipe, I like that the fish is poached first in milk and that this milk, with the fish flavours, then makes the sauce. I like to serve this simply with peas.

4 Eggs

300ml full fat milk

200g smoked haddock fillets, skin on

300g cod fillets, skin on

50g unsalted butter

250g leeks, dark leaves discarded, the rest thinly sliced.

1 tablespoon flour (gluten free if required)

Small bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped

For the Topping:

1 kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper

125ml hot full fat milk

Large knob of butter

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Boil the eggs for 8 minutes, drain and shell. Cut each egg into quarters.
  2. Pour 300ml of milk into a wide pan and lay the fish fillets skin side up in it. Heat gently until the fish is just cooked and the skin peels away easily. Remove the fish from the pan, break into large pieces and put to one side. Strain the milk onto a jug.
  3. Melt half the butter (25g) in a saucepan and cook the leeks until soft, then stir in the flour. Cook for a minute or so then gradually add the reserved poaching milk. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
  4.  Stir in the parsley and gently fold in the eggs and fish, trying not to break them up too much. Season and place in a pie dish.
  5. Meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes up into equal chunks and steam until cooked through. Mash with 125ml of hot milk and the large knob of butter.
  6. Finally top the pie with the mashed potato and dot with the remaining 25g of butter.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve with peas.