Comforting fish pie with salmon, white fish, potatoes and cheese

The only fish and indeed the only pie I ate as a child was my mother’s fish pie topped with crumbled cheese and onion crisps.  And not just any cheese and onion crisps: a very special brand called Tayto, which are only available in the 4 fair provinces of Ireland.  It was such a special dinner.  As a young girl I wasn’t a great eater and dinnertime was a bit of a chore.  Fish pie day on the other hand was such a joy – who ever heard of having a treat like crisps with dinner??

Thankfully, my palate has expanded since and food has become a life-long love (behind my husband and children of course!)

So here is a slightly healthier take on that old fish pie – without the crisps – Lentil and Coco are waaay too young for those!  But feel free to add them in if you fancy a cheeky, saltier topping to your pie.

Fills 4 ramekins

The what:

150g salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into small chunks

150g sustainably caught white fish (e.g. cod, haddock or hake), skin and bones removed, cut into small chunks

3 spring onions, finely sliced

600g potatoes, peeled and halved

60g frozen peas

50g cheddar cheese, grated

1 plum tomato, chopped

squeeze of lemon juice

1 tbsp vegetable or fish stock

2 tbsp Olive oil

a little milk to make the mash and brush on top

The how:

Pre-heat the oven to 200 (180 fan).

Add the potatoes to a saucepan of boiling water, bring back to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon, add the peas and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Add the olive oil and some milk to the potatoes and pass through a ricer.  Mashing is fine if you don’t have a potato ricer. Set aside.

To prepare the pies fill each ramekin with a layer of spring onions, tomato, fish (mix the salmon and white fish), peas and cheese.  Alternatively you can use one larger ovenproof dish. Add a little stock and a squeeze of lemon juice to each ramekin and top with a good few dollops of mashed potato.  Brush potato will a little milk and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the potato is a nice golden colour.

If serving to little ones, just be careful as the centre of the pie can be quite hot.

Enjoy!

Linking up to #TastyTuesdays hosted by  the lovely Vicki  at Honest Mum