Fish pie

Name: Fish pie
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 34 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 900g Floury Potatoes; 2 tbsp Olive Oil; 600ml Semi-skimmed Milk; 800g White Fish Fillets; 1 tbsp Plain flour; Grating Nutmeg; 3 tbsp Double Cream; 200g Jerusalem Artichokes; 1 finely sliced Leek; 200g peeled raw Prawns; Large handful Parsley; Handful Dill; Grated zest of 1 Lemon; 25g grated Gruyère; Juice of 1 Lemon

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Seafood recipe with British flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 53 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 34 min total

900g Floury Potatoes
2 tbsp Olive Oil
600ml Semi-skimmed Milk
800g White Fish Fillets
1 tbsp Plain Flour
Grating Nutmeg
3 tbsp Double Cream
200g Jerusalem Artichokes
1 finely sliced Leek
200g peeled raw Prawns
Large handful Parsley
Handful Dill
Grated zest of 1 Lemon
25g grated Gruyère
Juice of 1 Lemon

Step-by-step instructions

Put the potatoes in a large pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover, then simmer gently for 15 minutes until tender. Drain, then return to the pan over a low heat for 30 seconds to drive off any excess water. Mash with 1 tbsp olive oil, then season.
Meanwhile put the milk in a large sauté pan, add the fish and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover and stand for 3 minutes. Remove the fish (reserving the milk) and pat dry with kitchen paper, then gently flake into an ovenproof dish, discarding the skin and any bones.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in 200-250ml of the reserved milk (discard the rest). Grate in nutmeg, season, then bubble until thick. Stir in the cream.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Grate the artichokes and add to the dish with the leek, prawns and herbs. Stir the lemon zest and juice into the sauce, then pour over. Mix gently with a wooden spoon.
Spoon the mash onto the fish mixture, then use a fork to make peaks, which will crisp and brown as it cooks. Sprinkle over the cheese, then bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with wilted greens.

Why this works on a weeknight

Fish pie lands at about 34 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Fish pie actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Seafood British Fish Pie Breakfast Baking