Fish Pie

Ingredients

• 2 cups mashed potatoes, warm
• 1 1/2 lbs mixed white fish and salmon, cubed
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1/2 cup milk or cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onion, celery, and any raw protein until softened and lightly browned.
3. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the broth and milk until smooth.
4. Add the remaining protein and vegetables, thyme, salt, and pepper, and simmer 8–10 minutes until thickened and the vegetables are tender.
5. Pour the filling into a baking dish and spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top, fluffing with a fork.
6. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the potato topping is lightly browned and the filling bubbles at the edges.
7. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

The Tale of Fish Pie

Story updated September 18, 2026

Fish pie's roots reach back to Britain's long relationship with fish as a Lenten food. Under medieval Christian dietary rules, meat was forbidden during Lent and on many other fast days, so households turned to fish, including odds and ends and preserved catch, baked into a pie as a way to make a modest ingredient feel like a proper meal. Fish had been part of British cooking since Roman times, and its Friday-and-Lent associations persisted for centuries afterward, even acquiring royal traditions, such as the lamprey and herring pies once sent as tribute to English kings. The dish gradually shed its pastry crust in favor of a topping of mashed potato, giving it the comforting, casserole-like form recognized today: white fish such as cod or smoked haddock in a creamy or cheese sauce. Its exact modern recipe is hard to pin to one date, but it settled into its familiar shape sometime across the 19th and 20th centuries.