Featured Reader Review
Ann said, “Delicious fish pie with a creamy seasoned sauce. I had spot prawns, which I left whole, and cod in the freezer so I added those to the salmon. Will definitely make this again as it’s the perfect comfort dish. Thanks for sharing, Ari.”
This British-inspired Fish Pie is the ultimate comfort food recipe! It’s loaded with salmon, halibut, and shrimp, all nestled into a creamy béchamel sauce (one of the Five French Mother Sauces). In my version, I use a ton of fresh tarragon, which I think is perfect with the seafood.
Top it with flaky, crunchy fillo dough, puff pastry, or mashed potatoes. You can’t go wrong either way! It’s a fantastic and cozy dish that is hearty, flavorful, and seriously impressive!
If you love this dish, be sure to try more of our easy seafood recipes, such as Baked Cod With Panko, Tender, Flaky Salmon en Papillote, or Crab Stuffed Shrimp.
Ingredient Notes
- Aromatics: Sauté thinly sliced leeks (or shallots) in butter, then flavor with a fresh minced garlic. We love to use leeks, as they have a mild onion flavor.
- A mix of fresh seafood: salmon, halibut, and extra large shrimp!
- Fish stock: Seafood stock or shellfish stock is a great way to add even more seafood flavor to this recipe, versus using simply water.
- Whole milk or heavy cream: To create the body of the cream sauce.
- All-purpose flour: To create the roux, which is the base of cream sauces. This is made with equal parts butter and flour.
- Flavorings for the cream sauce: Lots of fresh parsley and tarragon, though you can certainly substitute with other herbs. Fresh dill would be fantastic! Dijon mustard, which adds a little tang! Lemon zest: Lemon and seafood are a match made in heaven. The lemon zest adds a bright, citrus flavor to the dish! And of course Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to season everything!
- Frozen peas: A staple in fish pie!
- Phyllo dough, puff pastry, or mashed potatoes: to top the fish pie before baking! If using phyllo or puff pastry, you’ll also want some egg wash, made with 1 beaten egg and a splash of milk or heavy cream.
Equipment: This was cooked in our large Staub braiser, but you can use a last cast iron skillet or any baking dish. Just make sure the seafood is in a single layer.
How To Make The Cream Sauce
Honestly, the cream sauce plays such a crucial role in this recipe! It starts off with a simple roux, a thickening agent used to make sauces creamier. Equal parts fat (usually butter) and flour are whisked together and cooked over medium-low heat. Do not boil!
Next, add liquid — in this case fish stock and heavy cream or milk — then continue whisking until it thickens.
At that point, you can flavor the sauce however you like. I like to add lots of fresh tarragon, parsley, Dijon, lemon zest, Kosher salt, and black pepper. It’s seriously so delicious! While not part of the cream sauce recipe, we love to add English peas. Frozen is great (do not thaw, rinse, or drain), don’t go out of your way to get fresh peas unless they’re in season!
Assembling Fish Pie
- Sauté aromatics. Place sautéd leeks and garlic in a pan or baking dish, then top with cubed fresh pieces of seafood: salmon fillets, halibut or other firm white fish, and extra large shrimp (be sure to peel and devein, or buy already cleaned from the store!). All seafood should be raw at this point.
- Add the cream sauce. Pour the cream sauce and peas over the leek and fish mixture. This would taste amazing baked as is, but go ahead and add a layer of crunchy phyllo dough — this takes it over the top! If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even make your own phyllo at home!
3. Add the topping: Either phyllo dough, thawed puff pastry brushed with melted butter and herbs, or creamy mashed potatoes! If you decide on potatoes, use a spoon to make a decorative swirl in the top before baking.
4. Bake the fish pie. Cook until the top is golden brown and the seafood is fully cooked through (the fish should be tender and the shrimp should be sightly firm, but not chewy).
Tip for making a phyllo crust: Place a sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface, then brush with a little melted butter. Place another sheet on top, then cut into squares that are about 2×2″. Use your hands to gently fold the dough so that the corners are all pointing up, then pop it on top of the pie. A little extra work, but worth it for the wow factor!
Make-Ahead And Storage
- Make-ahead: I recommend serving this the same day it’s made, as that’s the key to crunchy fillo dough.
- Leftovers will keep for up to 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container in a fridge. It can be reheated in a microwave. However, I recommend mashed potatoes as a topping if planning to make this in advance.
I don’t recommend freezing this one. Enjoy it fresh!
Ingredient Substitutions
- Seafood: Use any seafood you like, just be sure to cut them all into similarly sized pieces. A few suggestions to try: smoked haddock, hoki, cod, sea bass, scallops.
- Frozen seafood is absolutely fine, just be sure to thaw fully (overnight in a fridge or placed in a cool bowl of water until thawed) before using. Drain on paper towels to remove excess water and moisture before cooking with thawed seafood.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add more veggies when sautéing the leeks. Baby spinach, parboiled potatoes, or zucchini would be great.
Expert Tips
- Use whatever type of fish or seafood looks fresh! Don’t break the bank looking for halibut if there’s another fish that is fresh and affordable that you love. Similarly, if there’s a different size or variety of shrimp that looks great to you, use that instead.
- If using a smaller size shrimp, just keep the size in mind. A smaller shrimp will cook quicker than a larger one. With the extra large shrimp used here, I cut them into thirds so they’d be bite-size and also take around the same time to cook as the other seafood. You can leave smaller shrimp whole!
- Serve this the same day it’s made! The leftovers are completely delicious, there’s no doubting that, but the phyllo dough topping is definitely flakiest when it comes out of the oven the firs time.
Serving Suggestions
This is a meal in and of itself! It’s loaded with fresh seafood, English peas, and a thick, creamy sauce. If you want to add more vegetables — fresh spinach, perhaps? — you can sauté that quickly along with the leeks and add underneath the fish.
Other side dishes to try if you want more vegetables:
Arugula Salad
Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
Roasted Root Vegetables
Blistered Haricots Verts
A truly restaurant-quality, comforting dish, worthy of any special occasion or holiday gathering! If you make this Fish Pie recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More seafood recipes to try!
Crispy Pan-Seared Salmon with Lemon Parmesan Sauce Tender, Flaky Salmon en Papillote (Salmon in Parchment) Sicilian Swordfish with Olives, Tomatoes, Raisins Spaghetti alle Vongole (Pasta with Clam Sauce) Tender, Slow Baked Salmon with Compound Butter 35-Minute Baked Crab Stuffed Shrimp
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British Fish Pie with Flaky Phyllo Dough
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 1-2 large leeks thinly sliced, about 2½ cups OR 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1½ cups fish stock
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp fresh tarragon finely chopped (or dill)
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest about 1 lemon
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 8 oz frozen English peas
- 4 sheets phyllo dough
- 1 large egg
- ½ lb salmon skin removed, cut into 2" pieces
- ½ lb halibut or other white fish, such as sablefish, hake, haddock, or cod, cut into 2" pieces
- ½ lb extra large shrimp peeled, deveined, and cut into 1½ – 2" pieces
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Prepare the baking dish or pan. Preheat an oven to 400F. Grease a 3.5 QT pan (or larger cast iron skillet) with nonstick cooking spray, then set aside.
- Sauté the leeks. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add thinly sliced leeks (or shallots), then sauté until softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, then cook 1 minute more. Pour into the greased pan or skillet.
- Warm the stock and cream. Combine 1½ cups fish stock with 1 cup heavy cream in a saucepan, then bring to a gentle simmer.
- Make the cream sauce. Meanwhile, melt 4 Tbsp butter in the other saucepan (that you sautéed the leeks in), then whisk in ¼ cup AP flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2-3 minutes, then whisk in the warm stock and cream mixture. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until you have a smooth, thick sauce, about 2 minutes more.
- Season the sauce. Add 2 Tbsp tarragon, 2 Tbsp parsley, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp fresh lemon zest, 1 tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Stir in 8 oz frozen peas until well mixed. Allow to cool slightly while you assemble the rest of the dish.
- Add the seafood. Arrange the seafood on top of the sautéed leeks in a single layer. Pour the slightly cooled cream sauce on top.
- Add the phyllo dough. Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter. On a large cutting board or other clean work surface, place 1 sheet of phyllo dough down, then brush a tiny bit of butter on top, just enough to adhere a second sheet of phyllo to it. Place the second sheet of phyllo on top, then brush with a tiny bit more butter. Use a sharp knife to cut into 12 equal squares, about 2" wide. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of phyllo.
- Add the phyllo dough. Place each square of phyllo dough on top of the fish pie, crumbling it to fold and point the end pieces up (it'll kind of look like a flower). Cover the entire pie with phyllo. Doesn't have to be perfectly symmetrical!
- Cook the fish pie. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is piping hot and the phyllo is golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in a refrigerator for 3-4 days (cooked seafood has a shorter shelf life than other meats or poultry).
- Reheating: Can be quickly reheated in a microwave! Note that if making ahead, we recommend topping seafood pie with mashed potatoes or puff pastry, as the phyllo dough is best enjoyed the day it’s cooked.
- Substitutions: Use the highest quality seafood you can! If that’s fresh seafood other than what is listed in the ingredients, switch it up! Just note that all fish fillets and shellfish should be cut into similarly sized pieces. If using frozen seafood, make sure to thaw completely (and possibly drain or pat dry with paper towels, as needed) to ensure as much excess water and moisture is removed as possible. Otherwise, the fish pie will have a loose texture, and we want it to stay thick and creamy!
Delicious fish pie with a creamy seasoned sauce. I had spot prawns, which I left whole, and cod in the freezer so I added those to the salmon. Will definitely make this again as it’s the perfect comfort dish. Thanks for sharing, Ari.
Ann, I am so thrilled you loved it as much as I do! I think this is the coziest dish, and SO flavorful! xo, Ari
I’ve made this recipe twice to great acclaim. It’s almost impossible to screw up, so I feel comfortable using expensive ingredients. Only small quibble is that the pie really shouldn’t be cooked for more than 20 minutes or the fish gets dry!
Thanks for this feedback, Rachel! I could eat almost the entire fish pie by myself (it’s not my husband’s favorite, can you believe that?!), so I’ve been working on a small batch size. IT’S SO GOOD! Did you use phyllo on top or go with puff pastry or mashed potatoes? Thanks again! xo, Ari
Thanks for the reply! I used the phyllo, and I loved the technique in the recipe! It came out so beautifully both times, wish I could post the photos! I really appreciate that all the measurements were exact and the recipe came together just as expected. I could tell a lot of recipe testing went into it!
Thank you, Rachel!! xo, Ari