Cheesy Fish Chowder Pie combines fish pie mix, sweetcorn, leek and cornichons in a cheese sauce topped with a puff pastry lid! Simply divine!
After taking a pack of fish pie mix out of the freezer the other day I had no idea what I was going to make with it.
By tea time I was googling for inspiration and came across my own Fish Pie recipe (fancy that) but realising I had some puff pastry that needed using up and having seen various other fish pie recipes I was inspired to take my original recipe and give it a twist in this Cheesy Fish Chowder Pie!
I also happened to have the remainder of a pot of clotted cream that we’d had with our Christmas pudding so I used that up too! It did feel good to get all these bits used up and in such a delicious way.
I really enjoyed making the fish shapes for the pie crust and I had intended some air bubbles to go upwards but a lack of room meant they went at the bottom defying gravity, we’ll call it artistic licence! You can of course, can learn from my mistake and have them going the right way!
More Fish Pie Recipes!
I asked some fellow bloggers for their fish pie recipes and this is what they had to offer:
- Fish Pie – Fab Food 4 All
- Crumble Topped Ocean Pie – Supper in the Suburbs
- Sweet Potato Crispy Topped Fish Pie – Foodie Quine
- Fish Pie with Mustard Mash – Family Friends Food
- Dairy Free Hake Cornish Fish Pie – Penelope’s Pantry
- Fish Pie – Food to Glow
- Fish Pie Stuffed Pancakes – Fuss Free Flavours
- Kavey’s Chorizo, Cod and Pea Fish Pie – Kavey Eats
As my Cheesy Fish Chowder Pie was made with bargain fish which I bought for £1 (from £4) I’m entering it into Credit Crunch Munch which I am hosting this month and run with Helen of Fuss Free Flavours. I’m also entering it into Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary’s No Waste Food Challenge as I used up ingredients that were near their best before dates.
Pin for later?
Cheesy Fish Chowder Pie
Ingredients
- 400 g Fish Pie Mix (pieces of smoked haddock, cod, salmon etc) fresh or frozen
- 4 Peppercorns
- 1 Leek sliced
- 1 x 325 g Tin sweetcorn
- 200 ml Fish stock from poaching the fish
- 200 ml Semi-skimmed milk
- 25 g Plain flour
- 25 g Butter
- 1 tablespoon Clotted cream optional, I just happened to have it
- 1 teaspoon Whole grain mustard
- 90 g Extra mature Cheddar cheese
- 10 Cornichons or to taste
- 1 x 320 g Pre-rolled puff pastry sheet
- 1 Egg whisked to use as egg wash
Instructions
- Place the fish, peppercorns and sliced leeks in a pan and cover with water.
- Bring the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes or until fish is cooked through (if using frozen fish simmer for 10 minutes).
- Skim away any scum from the surface.
- Drain the fish mixture over a bowl, removing the peppercorns and reserving the fish stock.
- To make the sauce put 200 mls fish stock, milk, butter, cream (if using) and flour in a pan and bring to a simmer whisking constantly until thickened.
- Add the mustard and grated cheese and mix well until melted.
- Then add the fish, cornichons and sweetcorn.
- Unroll the pastry sheet and using an upturned deep pie dish as a template cut around it with a knife to form the pie lid.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- Cut 3 narrow strips from the edge of the remaining pastry and use these to cover the rim of the pie dish, breaking off any excess (wet the base with a pastry brush).
- Brush the outer rim of the pastry lid with water and place on top of the pie.
- Cut out fish shapes etc brushing with water to adhere to the pie.
- Pierce a whole with a knife under one of the fish for ventilation.
- Crimp the edges together by putting your left hand index finger and thumb on top of the edge pulling the pastry upwards with your right hand index finger going along the whole rim until finished.
- Brush the egg wash over the pie.
- Place pie in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Serve with vegetables of your choice.
Amy Fidler
such a lovely looking pie x
Amy Fidler
My kind of pie x
A S,Edinburgh
I love the decoration! I don’t think I’ve seen clotted cream used with fish before… it’s a brilliant idea; it’s so buttery and rich it must be a great combination.
Camilla
Thanks, it was a fab pie-)
Maya Russell
I like the fact that this can be made with any fish and on a tight budget.
Camilla
Thanks Maya, I buy fish when on offer or reduced and freeze it:-)
Pippa
Sounds lovely, but I worry that the fish is so full of water it makes the sauce really watery which has happened to me several times when making a fish pie with mash. Maybe pre cooking the fish with extract the water?
Camilla
Hi Pippa, the fish in this pie is cooked and then drained so there is no excess water coming from it. We had this last week and the sauce is definitely not watery.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
I love cheesy pies – they are just so comforting. Nice presentation on the pie to!!
Camilla
Thanks Dannii, can’t beat a cheesy pie:-)