Yorkshire Fish Pie with a Rosti Potato Topping
~ Yorkshire Fish Pie with a Rosti Potato Topping ~
Fish on Friday
Here we are again, Friday! I have had such a busy week since I was last here (posting my fishy recipes), and therefore I am only sharing one recipe with you today – I do like to slip a couple of fishy posts in for Friday when I have time, so sorry about that. This recipe is a winner however, a family favourite from Scarborough in North Yorkshire, although it would also make a tasty mid-week supper, no need to wait until Friday. The original recipe has no leeks in it, and also there is a puff pastry lid, as well as some chopped hard-boiled egg; but I wanted to “lighten” this recipe up a wee bit and so I added some leeks in place of the eggs and also decided to have a potato topping, but using rosti potatoes as a change from mashed spuds that adorn most fish pies! I have to admit to be very pleased with the rosti potato topping, it made a wonderful contrast to the soft flesh of the fish and was wonderfully crunchy and crispy.
Rosti topped Fish Pie from Yorkshire
The great thing about this recipe is the ease of assembling it; yes, you do have to grate the potatoes, but that can be done some time before you need to cook the pie, at least thirty minutes. But, there is no white sauce to make, and as long as you don’t add TOO much milk to the fish filling, it is just the right consistency when cooked, as the fish and vegetables “swell” up in the milk as they cook. It’s pretty much a one dish meal, although I like to serve it with extra vegetables or a salad, and the children should like it too……..the combination of bacon and fish is a classic one, and never does it work as as well as it does as in this recipe. You can of course omit the ingredients that don’t rock your fishing boat, but do try it this way if you have no aversion to bacon or leeks.
Yorkshire Fish Pie made whir Ling and Rosti Potato Topping
Ling was a fish that my grandmother used a lot in her cooking, as well as Woof; it is a long bodied deep-water fish that is a member of the cod family, and the best is found in the North East Atlantic. It’s flesh is sweet, firm and white and is often used in recipes as a substitute for Monkfish. In actual fact, one of the best fried fish suppers I had in Whitby once, was when I tried small “goujons” of deep fried ling fillets. You can bake, fry and poach ling with ease and it works very well in pies, as I found out. Ling is also known as Lemon Fish, Ling Cod and Cobia, and as I understand it from John of Delish Fish, most of our catch from the North Atlantic is sent to France, which is a real shame.
Do try it if you see it at your local fishmongers, and let me know what you think of it – I am going to bake it wrapped in pancetta next time, as I often do when I cook with monkfish, and I will let you know what I think and share the recipe here if it’s any good! That’s it for my Fresh Fishy Friday post, see you tomorrow and have a wonderful weekend. Karen
Ling has lovely firm white meat, which is perfect for baking.
Yorkshire Fish Pie with Rosti Potato Topping
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 35 minutes |
| Total time | 45 minutes |
| Allergy | Fish, Milk |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Casual Party |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 500g fresh Ling, boned and skinned (or Woof, Whiting, Hake, Coley, Haddock or Cod)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 small leeks
- 1 onion
- 150g streaky bacon
- salt and pepper, to season
- milk
- 500g potatoes (peeled, coarsely grated and allowed to drain in a colander for 30 minutes.)
- a little butter
Note
My take in a classic recipe from Scarborough in North Yorkshire. The original recipe calls for a puff pastry lid with no leeks, but a chopped hard boiled egg to be added instead. The original recipe also only suggests Ling or Woof as the fish to be used in this recipe.
Directions
| Step 1 | Butter an enamel pie dish and pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. |
| Step 2 | Cut the ling (or other fish that you are using) into pieces, not too small, and place in the buttered pie dish. |
| Step 3 | Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and add the bacon pieces, fry until fat is crispy, remove, drain and set aside. Then add the finely chopped leeks and diced onions to the pan and fry over a medium heat until they are just slightly soft, but still retain their "bite". In the case of the leeks, the tops should still be bright green. |
| Step 4 | Scatter the fried bacon over the fish pieces in the pie dish, seasoning with a little salt and pepper as you go; then add the leeks and onion, gently scattering amongst the fish layers. |
| Step 5 | Pour over just enough milk to just cover the fish. Place the grated potatoes (that have been in a colander) into a tea towel and squeeze all the excess moisture from them, then scatter over the fish, bacon and vegetables. Dot with butter and bake in pre-heated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. The pie is ready when the fish is soft and the potatoes are crispy and golden brown. |
| Step 6 | Serve immediately with seasonal vegetables or salad. |
Yorkshire Fish Pie with Ling
Issie says
I Love Fish, we eat it at least once a week, well this week we have had it 3 times, if I include the Portion of Fried Fish from the Fish & Chip van that called at our local cafe last night, Which is a nice treat once a month here in France!
I made fish pie this week but used the Yorkshire grandmothers recipe, of adding sliced boiled eggs, Frozen Peas and used a mixture of different fish including Salmon. Make a cheese sauce, mix the fish in and top with cheesey mash potatoe.
I will give your recipe a go next week. thank you for sharing.
Karen says
Thanks Issie, we love fish too and it is not hard to come up with a weekly recipe or two! I have posted a similar recipe to your grandmother’s recipe a few weeks ago, it’s here: Old Fashioned Fish Pie with Cheesy Mash, but I wanted to showcase this one as it is a very old recipe and peculiar to Scarborough!
Lauren says
My favorite fish are cod, salmon and rainbow trout. However, fish can be really expensive here since we’re so far away from the ocean and I’ll only buy sustainable, wild-caught fish. I often buy pollack, because it fits both of those requirements and is a pretty good substitute for cod. I also like catfish, which can be caught locally. It’s super tasty fried (with hush puppies!).
I love the idea of a rosti topping! This looks so yummy. Sometimes I really wish we were closer to the ocean so we could have fish several times a week.
Karen says
I also like pollack Lauren, and trout too. I haven’t had a hush puppy in ages…have you got a recipe? All my fish that is sent to me as part of the Fish is the Dish scheme is wild sustainable fish….and there are so many subs that we can use for cod too.
Dominic says
STUNNING fish pie my dear!… I love the ingredients but that topping is just inspiring!… I know I always say this but I really really want to have this for my supper now… and i’m too bone idle to make it… bother!
Karen says
I was quite pleased with the crispy topping too…..this REALLY is a very easy recipe Dom.
Robin says
I’m a fish fanatic, too, but I’ve never seen it in a pie! Very thoroughly explained here–well done, Lavender!
Karen says
Thanks Robin! Nice to meet another fish fanatic!
Working London mummy says
Nice idea I love fish pie but this topping sounds even more yum than my usual mashed potato
Karen says
Thanks Nazima! The Rosti pie topping was lovely and I am sure your little Missy would love it too!
Lisa Williams says
As someone who is not a fan of mash this is a great topping idea and I think this will be how I make my fish pies from now on, thank you for making pies so much more tasty for me from now on.
Maya Russell says
Love fish pie. Shared on Twitter as @maisietoo – https://twitter.com/maisietoo/status/324770752706527232