Fish Pie with Mashed Potatoes and Cheese

Fish Pie with Cheesy Mash is one of my all-time favourite comfort foods. Nothing beats a creamy fish pie for some hearty comfort food. This recipe is always on our rotation at home. This recipe has been handed down to me through generations of Grannys and has been tested hundreds of times.

2½ lbs floury potatoes, such as maris piper, peeled and chopped into large chunks (1 kg)
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
2½ cups full fat milk (600 mL)
2 fillets salmon, boneless
1-2 cod or haddock fillet, boneless
15 king prawns or shrimp; these can be cooked or raw, de-veined
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour or 2 Tbsp. cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp. cold water for gluten free
1½ cup mature cheddar cheese, packed, freshly grated (150 g)

To Serve:
1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
peas
sweet corn

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Place the potatoes into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and then mash with a potato masher or ricer. Stir in half of the butter, the cream and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put to one side.

Place the milk in a large saucepan with the salmon fillets and the cod/haddock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes (if you're using raw prawns, add them in for the last minute of cooking). By this time your fish should be cooked and starting to flake apart.

Place the flaked fish and prawns (add the cold, cooked prawns at this point if using) in a large baking dish, remove and discard the skin if the fish wasn't skinless.

Pour the cooking liquid into a jug and keep to one side

Regular Version of the Sauce:
Melt the remaining butter in the milk pan, then stir in the flour. Heat through on a medium heat whilst mixing with a wooden spoon for a minute.

Slowly add in the reserved milk that you cooked the fish in whilst stirring with a balloon whisk (don't whisk it hard though, or you'll end up with a frothy sauce). The sauce will begin to thicken after a few minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir through half the cheese and a pinch of black pepper.

Gluten Free Version of the Sauce:
Pour the reserved milk back into the milk pan and heat until barely simmering - don't let it boil. A bit at a time, stir through the cornflour/water mixture using a balloon whisk. Keep adding the cornflour mix until the milk thickens. Turn off the heat and stir through half the cheese and a pinch of black pepper.

Assembly:
Now it's time to assemble fish pie. Pour the sauce over the fish/prawn mixture.

Spoon the mashed potato over the top and then use a fork to spread it out and give it a lined pattern (this give the mash more surface area to crisp up).

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

Top with chopped chives and serve with peas and sweetcorn.