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| Type | Savoury pie |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Britain |
| Main ingredients | Whitefish,cheddar sauce,prawns,hard-boiled eggs |
Fish pie, also known asfisherman's pie, is a traditionalBritish dish.
According toCook's Illustrated, the dish was likely created to make use of fish scraps duringLent.[1]John Murrell's [la] 1615A New Booke of Cookerie contained recipes for eel and carp pies that called for scraps.[1]Jessup Whitehead's [d] 1889The Steward’s Handbook and Guide to Party Catering instructs the cook to poach the fish, then drain it and cover it in cream before baking.[1]
Thepie is usually made with fresh and smoked fish (for example,cod,haddock, salmon orhalibut) or seafood in awhite sauce[1] orcheddar cheese sauce made using the milk the fish waspoached in.[citation needed]Hard-boiled eggs are a common additional ingredient.[citation needed]Parsley orchives are sometimes added to the sauce. It isoven-baked in a deep dish but is not usually made with theshortcrust orpuff pastry casing that is associated with most savoury pies (e.g.steak and kidney pie).[1]
In place of a pastry casing enclosing the pie, a topping ofmashed potatoes[1] (sometimes withcheese or vegetables such asonions andleeks added)[2] is used to cover the fish during baking. The dish is sometimes referred to as "fisherman's pie" because the mashed potato topping is similar to that used forshepherd's pie.[1]
Gifts of fish pie to the king were a common tradition for various occasions. In aLenten tradition, the town ofYarmouth was required to bake 100 herrings into two dozen pies and send them to the king.[3][4] The prior ofLlanthony, Gloucester, bakedeels andcarp into a pie as a gift toHenry VIII in 1530.[4] In 1752 one was sent to the Prince of Wales. The tradition was also recorded during the reign of Queen Victoria.[4]
| Fish | |
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| Shellfish | |
| Other seafood | |
| Processed seafood | |
| Seafood dishes | |
| Health hazards | |
| Advisory services | |
| Animal welfare | |
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