Jamie Oliver's fantastic fish pie recipe
Jamie Oliver's classic fish pie, made with smoked haddock baked with spinach, cheese and mustard, then topped with buttery mashed potato. Serve it with baked beans, the way Jamie intended.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 large potatoes peeled and diced about 3 cm
- Salt and pepper
- 2 free-range eggs leave out if you don't like them
- 2 handfuls spinach I used 1 x 200gms packet of baby spinach
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot chopped/diced small - or grated
- 1 - 2 celery stalks finely diced
- extra virgin olive oil for frying
- 250 mil single cream 1 cup
- 1 cup grated Mature Cheddar cheese or Parmesan or use half and half
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard or English mustard
- 1 large handful of flat-leafed parsley finely chopped
- 500-650 grams Smoked haddock cut into biggish chunks. You could use any firm white fish - cod Hake, kingklip or salmon. Or a mix of salmon and whitefish. 1 lb 2 oz to 1 lb 7 oz
- 2-3 tbsp salted butter or more if you prefer a more indulgent mash
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg optional - a light grating in the mash
- Salt and pepper I like white pepper in this dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C / 425°F.
- Chop all the vegetables and the fish, juice the lemon and get everything ready to cook.
- Boil the potatoes in salted water for a couple of minutes.
- Add the 2 eggs and set a timer for 8 minutes. Remove when ready, then plunge into cold water to cool. Peel and cut into quarters, setting aside.
- In a separate pan, fry the onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes, then add the cream and bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves and Dijon, and stir to wilt.
- Place the fish into an appropriately sized oven dish and add the chopped parsley, lemon juice, grated cheese, and mustard. Pour over the vegetables and cream, and mix. Arrange the quartered eggs evenly across the mixture, pressing them in.
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander, mash them with the butter, and season with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Spread over the top of the fish mixture.
- You can drizzle a bit more oil or melted butter over the top to get a browner finish or sprinkle over more cheese if you really want to be decadent and get a crisper top.
- Bake for about 25 - 30 mins - until golden.
- Serve with heated baked beans in tomato sauce and blanched green beans (or other green vegetables/salad of your choice)
Notes
Storage: Once baked, the pie keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days in a sealed container or covered with cling film. Let it cool completely before refrigerating.
Reheating: Cover the dish with foil and reheat at 180°C / 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until piping hot throughout. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to crisp the top. Reheat single portions in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mash softens. Reheat only once.
Make ahead: assemble the pie, topped with the mash, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time. This works better than baking and reheating, which can overcook the fish. NB. For best results, I don't recommend making this pie in advance like this, as the filling tends to become watery if left overnight in the fridge.
Freezing: this pie doesn't freeze well, as the fish releases water and the mash can turn grainy. If you need to, freeze it unbaked and without the eggs, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as above.
Servings: 4