Fish pie
 | |
| Type | Savoury pie |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Britain |
| Main ingredients | White fish, bechamel sauce, |
| Variations | prawns, hard-boiled eggs, cheese |
Fish pie, also known as fisherman's pie, is a traditional British dish. The dish is also popular in Australia and New Zealand.[1][2] A turnover called a fish pie is made in Trinidad and Tobago.[3]
Origins
[edit]According to Cook's Illustrated, the dish was likely created to make use of fish scraps during Lent.[4] John Murrell's 1615 A New Booke of Cookerie contained recipes for eel and carp pies that called for scraps.[4] Jessup Whitehead's 1889 The Steward’s Handbook and Guide to Party Catering instructs the cook to poach the fish, then drain it and cover it in cream before baking.[4]
Ingredients
[edit]The pie is usually made with fresh and smoked fish (for example, cod, haddock, salmon or halibut) or seafood in a Béchamel sauce[4] or cheddar cheese sauce made using the milk the fish was poached in.[5] Hard-boiled eggs are a common additional ingredient.[6][7] Parsley or chives are sometimes added to the sauce. It is mostly topped with mashed potatoes,[4] (sometimes with cheese or vegetables such as onions and leeks added)[8] however there are variations with a pastry top.[9] The dish is sometimes referred to as "fisherman's pie" because the mashed potato topping is similar to that used for shepherd's pie.[4]
Royal fish pie
[edit]Gifts of fish pie to the king were a common tradition for various occasions. In a Lenten tradition, the town of Yarmouth was required to bake 100 herrings into two dozen pies and send them to the king.[10][11] The prior of Llanthony, Gloucester, baked eels and carp into a pie as a gift to Henry VIII in 1530.[11] In 1752, one was sent to the Prince of Wales. The tradition was also recorded during the reign of Queen Victoria.[11]
Gallery
[edit]
The stargazy pie is a traditional Cornish pie made with the heads of pilchards protruding through the crust.
Fish pies are also popular in parts of Russia.
Fish pie with sweet potato topping
See also
[edit]
- Stargazy pie
- Shepherd's pie, an unrelated meat-based dish which also uses potato instead of pastry
- List of pies, tarts and flans
Notes
[edit]- ↑ "Make Rick Stein's famous fish pie at home". The Australian. 26 June 2026.
- ↑ "Jess' Creamy Smoked Fish Pie". The New Zealand Herald. 28 June 2022.
- ↑ "Ultimate Fish Pie". Cooking with Ria. 1 October 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dunn, Steve (30 November 2021). "Britain's Coziest Pie". Cook's Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ↑ "Fish Pie in four stops". BBC Good Food. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Fantastic fish pie". Jamie Oliver. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Mary Berry's easy fish pie". BBC Food. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Morelli, Olivia (30 April 2020). "Recipe: How to make Richard Corrigan's fish pie at home". Conde Naste Traveller. Condé Nast Britain. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ↑ "Puff Pastry Topped Fish Pie Recipe – Rick Stein's Simple Suppers". Rick Stein. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Chambers Book of Days - February 24th, FISH AND FISH PIES IN LENT
- 1 2 3 Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (2004). Encyclopedia of Kitchen History. Routledge. p. 381. ISBN 978-1-135-45572-9.
References
[edit]- Murdoch (2004) Essential Seafood Cookbook Pies, casseroles and bakes, pp. 254–295. Murdoch Books. ISBN 9781740454124.
External links
[edit]- 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.
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| Shellfish | |
| Other seafood | |
| Processed seafood | |
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