Parsley Sauce Fish Pie with Shortcrust Lid
Chunks of cod, salmon and prawns in a silky parsley sauce under a golden pastry lid, an alternative to the usual mash top.
Made with White bechamel sauce and Shortcrust pastry. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time1 hr 20
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £2.61 a head
- Oven200°C (180°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Warm your ready made bechamel sauce (see the base recipe) in a large pan over a low heat until loose and just steaming. Stir in the parsley, lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, then season with pepper.
- 2
Fold in the cod and salmon and cook very gently for 3 minutes. Add the prawns and peas and cook for 2 minutes more, until the prawns just turn pink. Do not boil. Tip into a 1.5 litre pie dish and leave to cool for 20 minutes.
20 min - 3
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Roll out your ready made shortcrust pastry (see the base recipe) on a floured surface to 5 cm wider than the dish.
- 4
Brush the dish rim with egg, lay the pastry over the top, press the edges down and trim. Crimp with a fork, cut a steam hole and brush the lid with beaten egg.
- 5
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and the filling bubbles at the edges. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
33 min 20 s
Tips
- Cool the filling before adding the lid or the pastry melts and turns soggy underneath.
- Undercook the fish in the sauce. It carries on cooking in the oven, so it stays in large flakes rather than going to mush.
- Add a handful of cooked, chopped leeks or a few hard boiled egg quarters if you like a more traditional fish pie filling.
Storing and freezing
Cool within 2 hours and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat portions in the oven at 180C (fan 160C) for 25 minutes until steaming hot all the way through. Do not freeze, as the fish and sauce can turn watery.
Questions
Can I use frozen fish?
Yes. Thaw it fully in the fridge overnight, pat dry and use as normal. Wet fish releases water and thins the sauce, so dry it well on kitchen paper.
Can I make this without prawns?
Yes. Use 100 g extra white fish or salmon instead. Mixed fish pie packs from the supermarket also work well.
Can I use leftover pastry trimmings?
Yes. Roll the trimmings out and cut small fish or leaf shapes to decorate the lid, brushing with egg before baking.
More made with white bechamel sauce
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.