Healthy Fish Pie (For St. Patrick’s Day)

this recipe

Happy March, friends!!

Exciting things are happening! 1) Spring is on it’s way…eventually. 2) St. Patrick’s day is coming up!!! Are you as excited as I am?!

If you’ve been following along on the blog for a while, you know that I studied abroad in Ireland during a semester of college. To say that I get excited for St. Patrick’s day is an understatement. I am pretty obsessed anytime I have an excuse to talk about my time in Ireland!!!! Anyways, whenever I plan recipes for St. Patrick’s day I think about what I ate while Ireland.

Sometimes, as in a lot of the time, I ate microwaved cheese quesadillas (our kitchen wasn’t provided with a skillet), or frozen pizzas. However, there were times when we ventured out to eat and explore Ireland’s restaurants. There is still one meal that I especially remember.

Yes, 10, wait, 12 years later I still remember eating a meal that I had once.

My parents, and our good family friends, came to visit me during a week I had off of school. We rented a car and spent the week driving around Ireland. I think we were in Cork, Ireland when I ordered what I remember being called a Fisherman’s Pie. It was heavenly!!!

Varieties of tender, flaky fish were surrounded by some kind of creamy sauce and topped with mashed potatoes. Unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure of having a fish pie since, but that meal has stuck with me.

What  is a food blogger supposed to do when 11 years later she still can’t shake a meal shew had one time?

Re-create her own version, of course!!! Here we are, my healthier fish pie!

Fish pie is the cousin to Shepard’s pie, which is ground lamb or ground beef cooked with veggies, with a brown sauce and topped with mashed potatoes and baked. Fish pie is a similar concept, only with fish, of course, and a creamy white sauce of some kind. During my research I was disappointed to find that fish pie is more commonly an English dish, (not that there’s anything wrong with that – I just had it in my head it was Irish). Since I know for a fact that there is plenty of fresh fish in Ireland, and that the first time I had a fish pie was in Ireland, I decided to make it for St. Patrick’s Day regardless.

Is this fish pie authentic to what you would find over in England or Ireland? Probably not. I mean, it was 12 years ago. I remember eating it and loving it, but not exactly what was in it or what it tasted like. So, I created my own tasty version.

During my research recipes varied greatly. However, a few things were fairly consistent: 1) A creamy sauce was made using a roux base, milk (or cream), a little mustard, and maybe some white cheddar cheese. 2) Spinach was often wilted into the sauce (I love any opportunity to sneak in more veggies). 3) The fish consisted of  a mix: some salmon, a firm white fish, and shrimp, mussels, or squid. 3) Mashed potatoes were baked right on top, of course.

I took those rules and ran with it!

I guess you could say that I made a spring inspired fish pie. It’s got a creamy, dill sauce, with a hint of lemon. that’s studded with sauteed carrots, celery, leeks, and peas. The  mix of tender, flaky fish and shrimp is for all seafood lovers. And those mashed potatoes baked right on top with green onion mixed inside gets all crispy on the edges. It’s filling, comforting, and crazy delicious!

Why my fish pie is healthier than most:

• I used skim milk instead of cream – when you make a roux to thicken a sauce there is no need for the fat from cream or whole milk.
• I skipped the cheese – honestly, the sauce didn’t need it. Which is saying a lot since I am originally from Wisconsin. Even Paul agreed. Cheese would have just detracted from the brightness of the sauce.
• Veggies – I opted to throw in a ton of spinach, it melts right into the sauce. Plus, there are leeks, carrots, celery, and peas.
• I didn’t peel the potatoes – we love leaving the skin on our potatoes for extra texture. Bonus: the skin hosts most of the fiber.

This fish pie recipe is one hearty tasty, comforting meal that doesn’t weigh you down. I love meals like that, don’t you?!

Fish pie takes 1 hour to make, but it serves a crowd – 6 to 8 people. It would be perfect to serve at a large family dinner, or with friends. I like to serve it with a simple side salad with a lemon vinaigrette, now we’re really rocking the veggies!!!

And surprisingly, this meal makes great leftovers. Yes, even heated up in the microwave. You do loose the crunchy potatoes on top, but the flavors some how gets better as everything sits together. Trust me, we had a lot of leftover fish pie for dinners two weeks in a row. It was glorious!!!

I hope you enjoy this fish pie recipe as much as we did. Happy soon to be St. Patrick’s Day! See you next week for another St. Patrick’s Day inspired recipe.

More St. Patrick’s Day recipes to celebrate with:

• Traditional Irish Shepard’s pie
• Coconut Irish coffee
• chocolate whiskey zucchini cupcakes
• creamy leek and potato soup
• gluten free brown Soda bread
• Irish boxty potato pancakes with bacon and Brussels Sprouts
• Irish beef and Guinness Stew

More fish/seafood recipes you will love:

• salmon cakes with Greek yogurt horseradish dip
• rosemary foil salmon with corn and fennel
• sheet pan miso glazed salmon with broccoli
• sheet pan pineapple shrimp fajitas with avocado crema

Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a comment below along with a star rating, this helps my recipes to be seen by more people. Also, I enjoy hearing from you! Thanks, friends.

Healthy Fish Pie

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Emily
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 to 8 1x
• Category: entree, fish, seafood
• Method: saute, boil, bake
• Cuisine: gluten free

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Fish pie has salmon, cod, and shrimp baked in a creamy dill sauce and topped with baked mashed potatoes. A great meal for feeding a crowd. It’s comforting, filling, while still being light. The perfect recipe for St. Patrick’s Day.

---

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Mashed Potatoes

• 1.5 pounds golden potatoes, cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon salt (for boiling water)
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 green onions, sliced, including white ends

Sauce

• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 2 to 3 leeks, sliced and rinsed to remove any dirt
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour (see notes)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as chardonnay)
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 to 2 teaspoons creamy Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped)
• Juice of half a lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 to 3 handfuls of baby spinach
• 2/3 cup peas, defrosted and drained

Fish

• 1/2 pound skinless salmon
• 1/2 pound skinless cod (or other white firm fish, such as pollock, haddock, halibut etc)
• 1/2 pound peeled and de-vained shrimp (or sub squid or shelled mussels)

garnish

• sliced green onions

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Prepare: chop all of the veggies according to the directions above, set aside into separate bowls. Add the cubed potatoes to a large pot, cover with cold water (we like to leave the skins on, for texture, you can peel them if desired). Remove your fish from the fridge and allow it to come to room temp on the counter (helps with even cooking). Grease a 9×9 baking dish and set aside. Line a large cookie sheet with foil and set the greased baking dish on top (to catch any spills). Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Boil the potatoes: Cover the pot of potatoes with a lid and allow them to come to a boil. Once boiling add the tablespoon of salt, remove the cover and allow them to boil for 5 to 6 minutes, or just until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes, place the drained potatoes back into the same pot, turn on the heat to low and allow the moisture to cook out of the potatoes for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat to allow them to cool just until they aren’t steaming anymore.
3. Saute the veggies: while the potatoes are cooking heat a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and add the leeks, carrots, and celery saute stirring occasionally until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes – careful not to brown the veggies. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds.
4. Mash the potatoes: While the veggies are sauteing, mash the potatoes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until you reach your desired consistency, I like mine a little chunky. Stir in the butter and allow it to melt. Stir in the olive oil and 1/2 of the milk at a time until the potatoes are moist, but not runny (you may not use all of the milk). Stir in the salt and pepper and green onions, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Keep covered to keep warm and set aside.
5. Make the sauce: Returning to the pan with the veggies, turn the heat to low, melt the 2 tablespoons butter and add the flour. Cook the flour for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the white wine and stir to combine well. Allow the wine to simmer for 2 minutes. Slowly stream in the milk, stirring constantly. Once smooth and creamy stir in the mustard. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened add the spinach and peas, cover with a lid and allow the spinach to wilt. Continue to simmer for 1 more minute, or until the sauce has thickened enough that when you pull your spoon through the pan, the sauce stays separated (see photo in post). Stir in the dill and season well with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little.
6. Cut the fish: While the sauce is cooling cut your fish in to 1 inch cubes and your shrimp into 1/2 inch chunks – if using muscles or squid rings you can leave them whole. Set aside.
7. Assemble: Once the sauce is cooled a little transfer the fish and shrimp to the pan. Gently stir combine the fish with the sauce – it may seem like a thick sauce but it will thin out as the juices from the fish are released during cooking. Transfer the sauce and fish to the prepared baking dish. Add the mashed potatoes to the top of the fish mixture, spreading it out to the edges.
8. Bake: Place the dish on top of the prepared cookie sheet, place the pan in the center of your pre-heated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the potatoes have browned bits on top.
9. Cool: Allow the fish pie to cool for 15 minutes.
10. Serve: Just before serving garnish with a sprinkle of sliced green onions. Scoop onto serving plates and serve hot.

---

Notes

Gluten free: To make this recipe gluten free use all purpose gluten free flour blend for the roux.

Potatoes: I like to leave the skins on my potatoes for extra texture, however feel free to peel them if you prefer.

White wine: The alcohol in the white wine cooks off completely. However, if you don’t want to use white wine you can either replace it with chicken stock or extra milk.

I like to serve this dish with a simple side salad or roasted veggies.

Recipe Card powered by