French Fish Pie

It’s one of those dishes that just feels right for the occasion. Fish pieces are poached in a creamy dill béchamel sauce with leek and fennel, then topped with buttery mashed potato and baked until crispy.

Nagi's Notes

JB’s Fish Pie is one of those dishes that feels special but isn’t fussy to make.

It’s got generous pieces of fish nestled in a white wine béchamel sauce that’s flavoured with butter sautéed leeks, fennel and onion, and finished with fresh dill. Nothing shouts on its own (except those crispy golden potato swirls) but the whole is far greater than the parts – properly occasion-worthy (hello, Good Friday).

Or just simply tell everyone, “it’s French, darling!”. PS I don’t want to brag, but I Fish Pie for breakfast – it was for method testing!

French Fish Pie

Every Friday back home, my mum would head to the village trade early to pick up fresh fish – usually pollock – to cook for our family meal.

This was a weekly Catholic tradition that we grew up with, so we would have never thought to have anything else on Easter Friday. I can’t remember exactly what my mother used to make for Easter, but I remember this fish pie made an appearance on the table a few times as it was my favourite. We call this Fish Pie “Parmentier de Poisson”, named after Monsieur Parmentier, the man who famously helped make potatoes a staple in France.

A true hero to my eyes! 😂 It’s a simple pie to make and the things that make it distinctly French is the use of leek, fennel and fresh dill which brings freshness to the creamy white wine béchamel sauce. Just add a crusty baguette and you are good to go!

Ingredients in French Fish Pie

Here is what you need to make my favourite Easter fish pie:

1. FISH FOR THE PIE

The fish pictured throughout this post is ling which works well here. Commonly found in Australia and New Zealand, it is quite lean and company, so it holds its shape nicely.

See below for other suitable fishes for this recipe.

OTHER SUITABLE FISH

Any firm white fish fillets that are at least 2 cm/0.8″ thick will work here.

Here are suggestions for common fish that are ideal for using in this recipe: - Australia: Barramundi, Blue eye cod / Trevalla, Basa, Bream, Cod, Flathead, Jewfish, Monkfish / Stargazer, Ocean perch, Snapper. - US: Above and below listed, plus Pollock, Catfish, Halibut, Pangasius, Tilapia.

- UK/Europe: Above listed, plus, Pollack, Sea bass. Salmon and trout will work too, though not traditional.

FISH TO AVOID

- Fish that dry out easily when cooked – Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.

- Delicate and thin-filleted fish – Like flounder, sole, plaice. The texture of the flesh is a bit too delicate for this type of preparation and these fish tend to be very thin fillets. - Oily, strong-tasting fish – Like mackerels, mullet and sardines.

2. FISH PIE FILLING + SAUCE

- Fennel – Brings a light, slightly sweet anise savour that works well with fish.

- Leek – Soft, mild onion savour that blends nicely into the sauce. - Onion and garlic – Standard flavour bases.

- Dry white wine – Gives the sauce depth of taste. Without, it tastes like it’s missing something.

Chardonnay is my favourite for preparation and that was the most commonly used at restaurants I worked at in France, but any other dry white wine will work. There is no need to use an costly wine here.

Can be skipped if non-alcoholic, or use non-alcoholic wine. - Milk and cream – I like to use both to bring a little extra richness into the sauce. You can substitute the cream with more milk, but it will reduce the richness.

Lactose-free milk and cream work too. - Fresh dill – Adds freshness and lifts the whole dish. Key component here that complements the fish perfectly.

- Plain flour / all-purpose flour – Thickens the sauce so the filling holds together. - Extra virgin olive oil + butter – I’ve always cooked this using both, as the butter adds taste while the oil helps prevent it from burning.

- Cooking salt / kosher salt – Used for seasoning. If you’ve only got table salt, halve the amount.

For salt flakes, gain by 50%. - Black pepper – Cracked black pepper, the one we commonly use in our recipes.

3. MASH POTATO TOPPING

- Potatoes – Use starchy potatoes rather than waxy for a light and fluffy mash (Sebago in Australia – the dirt covered ones you see on the shelves, Russet in the US, King Edward or Maris Piper in the UK are perfect).

- Unsalted butter – Adds richness and savour. Add it before the milk so it melts into the hot potatoes and is incorporated evenly.

- Milk – Full fat preferred for a creamier mash, though low fat works too. - Cooking salt / kosher salt – For seasoning.

If you’ve only got table salt, halve the amount. For salt flakes, gain by 50%.

- White pepper – Classic in mash, more subtle than black pepper and without the black speckles. You can use black pepper if that’s what you have.

How To Make French Fish Pie

Get the potatoes boiling for the mash first then start preparing the creamy filling with the fish. Then assemble the pie and bake.

Once it’s out of the oven, I’ll leave the rest up to you. ☺️

1. FISH PIE FILLING

- Season fish – Pat the fish pieces dry with paper towels and sprinkle all sides with salt.

- Sauté vegetables – Heat oil and butter in a 26cm / 10″ cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel, leek and garlic. Cook 5 minutes until softened.

I use an oven proof skillet since you can make the filling in it then bake it in the same vessel. Even so, if you don’t have one, just bake the pie in a casserole dish.

- Make roux – Add flour, stir 30 seconds. Pour in white wine – it will simmer rapidly at first – then mix it in, it will look pasty.

- Finish béchamel – Slowly pour in the hot milk and cream while stirring. Bring to a simmer, cook 1 minute until thickened.

- The sauce should be quite thick, fully coating the back of the spoon then gently run down it. - Finish filling –Turn the heat off.

Add the fish pieces to the sauce, gently nestling them in so they’re mostly submerged. Then, using a spatula, carefully stir and move them around just enough to coat them in the sauce.

2. MASH POTATO TOPPING

- Cook potatoes – Place potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer 25 minutes until very soft.

- Rice / Mash – Drain well. Pass through a potato ricer or return to the pot and mash well with a potato masher. - Butter and milk – Add butter first with salt and white pepper, stir until combined.

It should be creamy but not loose (so it holds its shape when pipped). - Piping bag – Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

It must be warm to be piped as cold mashed potato is hard. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a ziplock bag, or spoon dollops over the top spread mash across the surface and rough it up with a fork.

3. PIPING THE POTATO AND BAKING

- Pipe mashed potato – Pipe mounds of hot mashed potato swirls across the surface, or whatever style you want.

The swirls I did have a 4.5cm base (1.6″), about 4cm tall (1.4″). Then fill gaps with small swirls/blobs.

Make sure to use all the mash! Spray lightly with olive oil.

- Bake – Bake 35 minutes, rotating halfway, until golden on top. I highly recommend placing a baking tray lined with foil at the bottom of your oven to catch any bubbling filling that may leak during baking.

Rest for 10 minutes before serving to cool slightly and let the sauce thicken a bit more.

How To Serve French Fish Pie

To serve, scoop generous portions so you get both the creamy fish and the crispy-creamy potato on plates and serve it with roasted asparagus, a side of roasted broccoli or a simple green beans salad.

And of course, some crusty bread – because in France, bread is always on the table. And that’s a wrap for this one!

If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Wishing you a very happy Easter and enjoy every bite.

FAQ – French Fish Pie

Yes, you can absolutely make this ahead (up to two days), just assemble it a little differently.

Use a different baking dish and make sure the sauce has cooled completely first. Spread half of the sauce on the bottom, arrange the fish on top, then cover with the remaining sauce.

Smooth the surface, then pipe the hot mash over the top. Leave the dish on the counter for the mash to fully cool, then cover and keep refrigerated until you bake it.

See components description above. Yes, you can but keep in mind that it won’t be only fish anymore so the texture of the sauce might change.

The cookery time stays the same. That’s exactly what you want.

The fish releases liquid as it cooks, then the sauce loosens in the oven and sets into a creamy filling as it cools. Nagi and I began by deciding what we wanted to make for Easter, then I took the lead on developing the method and testing it.

We tasted it together and worked through the changes as a team. I probably made it a couple more times before we were both happy with the final version, then Nagi tested it once more as a final check.

As well, just like with my mushroom tart, she took care of all the photos for me. Learning how to write a post properly takes a fair bit of time and I didn’t quite have enough of it to do it myself.

French Fish Pie

- 500g / 18oz white fish fillets , skinless, ~2cm / 0.8" thick, cut into 5cm / 2" x 3cm / 1.2" pieces (any business white fish like cod, barramundi, snapper) (Note 1) - 1/2 tsp cookery salt / kosher salt half for table salt, +50% for flakes

Fish pie sauce

- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter - 1 brown / yellow onion , diced 0.6cm / 0.2" - 1/2 fennel (stalks cut off) , diced 0.6cm / 0.2" (Note 2)

- 1 leek , (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then cut into 2cm / 0.8" pieces - 3 garlic cloves , finely minced

- 1/2 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour , (Note 3) - 1/2 cup dry white wine , any type (Note 4)

- 1 1/2 cups HOT milk, full fat preferred , but works with lite milk too - 1 cup HOT thickened cream / heavy cream

- 1 tbsp fresh dill , finely chopped (substitute with parsley or 1/2 tbsp tarragon) - 3/4 tsp cookery salt / kosher salt , half for table salt

Mash potato topping

- 1kg / 2lbs starchy potatoes , peeled, cut into large chunks 5cm / 2" x 4cm / 1.6" (Aus: Sebago dirt brushed, US: Russet, UK: Maris Piper, King Edward)

- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter , cold, cut in small cubes - 1/3 cup hot milk, full fat preferred , but works with lite milk too

- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , half for table salt - 1/8 tsp ground white pepper , or black pepper

- olive oil spray (optional) - Sauté onion, fennel, leek and garlic, add flour, wine, milk, cream, salt and pepper to make the sauce, stir in dill and add fish. Bake for 35 minutes until golden.

Rest 5 minutes, then serve. - First place potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water.

Bring to a boil, then simmer 25 minutes until very soft. You can start making the sauce while the potatoes are cooking.

- Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan). I highly recommend placing a baking tray lined with foil at the bottom of your oven to catch any bubbling filling that may leak during baking.

- Season fish – Pat fish pieces dry with paper towels and sprinkle all sides with salt. - Sauté vegetables – Heat oil and butter in a 26cm / 10" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel, leek and garlic.

Cook 5 minutes until softened and light golden. Stirring regularly. (Note 5)

- Make sauce – Add flour, stir for 30 seconds. It will simmer rapidly at first, then mix it in, it will look pasty.

Slowly pour in the HOT milk and cream while stirring. Bring to a simmer, cook 1 minute until thickened.

The sauce should be quite thick, fully coating the back of the spoon then gently run down it. - Finish mashed potato – (see instructions below). - Finish filling – Stir in dill.

Add the fish pieces to the sauce, gently nestling them in so they’re mostly submerged. Then, using a spatula, carefully stir and move them around just enough to coat them in the sauce. - Potato topping – Pipe mounds of mashed potato swirls on the surface.

My swirls have a 4.5cm base (1.6"), about 4cm tall (1.4"), then I fill gaps with small swirls/blobs. Make sure to use all the mash!

Spray lightly with olive oil. (Note 6) - Bake – Bake 35 minutes, rotating halfway, until golden on top. If it's not golden enough, place it under the grill for a few minutes.

- Serve – Rest for 10 minutes before serving to cool slightly and let the sauce thicken a bit more. - Finish mash – Drain well.

Pass through a potato ricer or return to the pot and mash well with a potato masher. Do not use a stick blender, it will overwork the starch, turning the mash gluey instead of fluffy. Add butter, salt and white pepper, stir until combined then add hot milk.

It should be creamy but not loose (so it holds its shape when piped). - Piping bag – Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. (Note 7)

In Memory of Dozer

This one takes me back to the old HQ again, when we had the (questionable) idea of building a barbecue pit. It was very much a work in progress… and honestly, not looking great at that stage!

Of course, Dozer had to come and inspect. Standing right in the middle of it, as if he oversaw the construction.

To be honest I’m not sure he was convinced by my work! 😂