Easy Cheesy Family Fish Pie Recipe for the 5:2 Diet (300 calories) using #FishFight Haddock
#FishFight Haddock:
Easy Cheesy Family Fish Pie Recipe for the 5:2 Diet (300 calories)
Easy Cheesy Fish Pie
My Fish on Friday post is now a Seafood on Saturday post, as I ran out of time to write this yesterday! But, fish is NOT just for Friday, and today’s recipe would make a fabulous family supper dish for the weekend, and, it is so easy to make too. I am also hoping to engage you all in a cause very close to my heart, sustainable fish, and I am publicly supporting John from Delish Fish and his #FishFight which has been set up to encourage consumers to eat more Scottish Haddock. John’s Haddock are MSC, full traceability from the North Sea, and the ONLY haddock I will eat and cook with. Today’s recipe uses TWO types of haddock, smoked haddock and normal (unsmoked) haddock – the fillets are ready to cook, with NO bones and skin. I have only used two fillets, as you can see from the recipe below, and we were rewarded with a tasty and filling fish supper without breaking the bank.
Poaching the haddock in milk
This recipe is also suitable for those of you following the 5:2 diet, for fast days, or indeed anyone wanting to lose a few lbs. It’s a fallacy that good wholesome food has to be laden with fats and sugar, and I could happily live of fish and vegetables for most of the week. This recipe serves three people as a light but comforting supper dish (for a family of four the recipe can be easily increased), or for two people (on a non fast-day) for a VERY filling and hearty dinner or lunch dish. It also highlights the fact that when cooking with quality ingredients, such as this Scottish haddock, you need VERY little else to make a delicious meal. My main ingredients in this recipe are haddock, peas, potatoes and milk!
Easy Cheesy Family Fish Pie Recipe for the 5:2 Diet (300 calories)
To get back the John’s Fish Fight; it is an anathema to me why we, in the British Isles, do NOT demand that our food comes from LOCAL and British producers! In France, they are PROUD to support their local producers and value their “Terroir”, but we don’t appear to value it here in the UK. The simple fact is this, I DO not want to eat Panga from Vietnam or Prawns from Bangladesh, why? Because we have a plethora of sustainable fish and seafood on our OWN doorstep! The more we support our local fishermen, the more fishmongers will stay in business with more jobs for local people. It’s the same for dairy farmers, beef farmers, poultry breeders and vegetable growers, I really do want British on my plate! If the horse meat scandal has shed any light on anything, it has highlighted the fact that so much of our meat (and other produce) have thousands of air-miles with no honest provenance. Sorry for the rant, but it really is a mystery to me why British people, from an Island nation, do not buy locally caught fish as a preference over imported frozen fish. The irony is, that I have more chance of finding Scottish fish in a French supermarket, than I will at my local supermarket in the UK! Tell me that’s NOT crazy!
Easy Cheesy Family Fish Pie Recipe
Anyway, rant over! Let’s get back to business, and this lovely recipe; there is NO butter or fat in it, and I am sure you will not miss it. By putting the potatoes through a ricer, you get a light fluffy topping that needs no fat to enhance its crispy, crunchy topping. Two tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese gives you that delectable cheesy topping and all that is need to serve this fish pie, are a few garden peas. I am pretty pleased with this recipe on numerous counts – firstly, it uses prime Scottish haddock, secondly it is easy to make and thirdly it is healthy and low in calories, that’s a win, win, win situation I think – oh yes, it won’t break the bank to make it too! If you want to follow John and his fish fight, he has a Face Book page here: John’s Fish Fight and a Twitter account here: @JohnsFishFight That’s all for today, I hope you enjoy the recipe, if you make it, see you later, Karen
Fish Pie with Cheesy Topping
Easy Cheesy Family Fish Pie
Print recipe
| Serves | 3 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 45 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour |
| Allergy | Fish, Milk |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 1 x 125g Smoked Haddock Fillet
- 1 x 125g Fresh Haddock Fillet
- Bay leaf
- 300ml Skimmed milk
- 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
- 160g Frozen garden peas (or fresh peas when in season; 60g to add to pie and 100g to serve)
- 500g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice of 1 lemon
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- Fresh parsley, to serve
- Garden peas to serve, see above
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Note
A delectable and easy fish pie recipe with a cheesy potato topping, using sustainable Scottish haddock; this pie is very low in calories, with one portion coming in at a very low 300 calories. The recipe serves 3 people, and is perfect for those following the 5:2 diet as a fast day meal. On a non-fast day, the recipe will feed two adults as a hearty and filling supper or lunch. This pie can be frozen in handy individual portions. Allow to defrost on the fridge overnight and then microwave to reheat, or cover in foil and heat up in the oven.
Directions
| Step 1 | Place the haddock fillets in a large pan with the milk and a bay leaf. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer very gently over a low heat until the fish is cooked, and is opaque and starting to flake. |
| Step 2 | Take the pan off the heat and allow to cook slightly. Carefully take the fish out of the milk and flake the fish into small pieces into an oven-proof dish; discard the bay leaf from the milk. |
| Step 3 | Heat the milk up slightly and sieve the plain flour into the warm milk, whisky vigorously all the time, to avoid lumps, until it thickens. Season to taste. |
| Step 4 | Scatter the peas over the flaked fish, add the lemon juice to the white sauce and then pour the sauce over the fish and peas. |
| Step 5 | Whilst the fish is cooking, bring the potatoes to the boil and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are cooked and soft. Take off the heat and strain them, making sure there is no water left. Allow them to cool. When you are ready to add them to the pie, put the potato pieces in a potato ricer, and allow the "potato rice" to fall over the top of the fish and peas in sauce. Continue until all the potatoes have been riced and the pie is evenly covered with potatoes. |
| Step 6 | Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top of the potato and bake in a preheated oven, 200°C, 180°C fan oven, gas mark 6, for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are crispy, golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. |
| Step 7 | Serve immediately with remaining garden peas, (that have been cooked in a little water for 5 minutes) fresh parsley and lemon edges. |
| Step 8 | Serves 3 people as a light supper dish, or 2 hungry people as a main meal. Any remaining pie can be frozen. |
Easy Cheesy Family Fish Pie
As this is a cheap and cheerful dish, I am entering into Camilla and Helen’s March Credit Crunch Munch challenge.
Alicia (foodycat) says
I am amazed. I would never in a million years have believed you could make a fish pie for so few calories!
Karen Booth says
It’s the fish, it’s low in calories, and also potatoes are NOT that calorific if not doused in butter! I also used skimmed milk and no butter at all…….it was a tasty low-calorie meal. If you want to serve it as a big meal (for 2 people and not 3), it’s still only 450 calories per portion! Thanks Alicia, Karen
Coffee and Crumpets says
I couldn’t agree with you more Karen! I also believe that so many of our illnesses, intolerances to food , allergies have come about because we eat food out of season or have it come from somewhere that our bodies are not used to. It’s pretty ridiculous, I agree. I guess people have become accustomed to having a great variety of stuff in their life and that’s become big business. It’s the same story here, though Colorado is far better than most states when it comes to eating local and in season.
Love the look of the fish pie, that fish is gorgeous.
Nazneen xx
Karen Booth says
Thanks Nazneen!
I also think that lots of modern day illnesses are due to eating out of season, as well as junk food with too much sugar and fats.
This pie was easy to make and VERY tasty for a low fat and low calorie meal!
Karen
Camilla @Fab Food 4 Alll says
I adore fish pie and your flakes of fish and mash look very inviting and peas too:-) I have strange kids who don’t like mash so I am unable to make anything topped with with it which is a huge shame! I agree with all your comments about where our food comes from. I only learned yesterday that the prawns I’m eating don’t come from the sea but are farmed in ponds and fed with unsustainable fish waste. How many scandals do we need before the big supermarkets get their acts together and stop jumping where the fence is lowest.
Karen Booth says
Thanks Camilla! It is scandalous how little we value out local produce and don’t worry about where it comes from……and this will have to change I think, and soon. Karen
Mary says
Oh, this looks so delicious, I love haddock!
Karen Booth says
Thanks Mary! It was a lovely meal and like you, I love haddock. Karen
rita cooks italian says
I stopped baking fish pies a while ago because I was very disappointed with the quality of the white fish haddock/cod in UK supermarket. This easy cheesy and ‘peasy’ recipe reminds me how much I like fish pies and inspire me to look for local quality fish to buy. Not an easy task.
Karen Booth says
Rita, you should order your fish from John at Delish Fish, he is reasonably priced and it arrives in a lovely chiller box straight to your door and was just off the boat a few hours before you receive it, depending on when you order! Karen
bakingaddict says
I do love a good fish pie but am wary of the calorie content. This however will satisfy the stomach and appease the guilt. PS you confused me as I thought it was Friday but seafood on saturday sounds great too 🙂
Mandy Toombs says
I’m so excited Ive just come across this blog! I’ve been reading up on the 2:5 diet and really like the ethos but was a little worried about not knowing what to eat and not wanting to resort to cuppa soups on the fast days as I don’t want to compromise on eating well. Fish pie is my fave and right at the top of your recipes. I feel like I now know what to do! Plus I love the fact that I can cook this for the whole family and I’ll just have a bit less. I think I will be back here 🙂
Karen Booth says
Thanks so much for your lovely comment Mandy! I have LOTS of 5:2 recipes on the blog, and you can find them all in one place here: 5:2 recipes Karen
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
Thank you so much for sending this to Credit Crunch Munch Karen. I currently have a freezer full of lovely fish and must try doing 5:2 again so this is perfect.
Sorry for not popping over before, now I have taken myself off the blogging treadmill I am having a lovely time having the time to browse sites and be inspired!
Karen Painter says
I’m definitely going to have a go at making this delicious fish pie, I can put the old man on a diet without him even knowing it!!
Tracy Nixon says
Great! Shared via G+
Bernadette says
I am enthralled that a dish like this is suggested on the 5:2 diet, have read the book cover to cover! Nonetheless, very impressed and will be cooking this yummy dish today and can’t wait to view more receipes! Thank you
Tamsin says
Many thanks for this recipe! This has become a regular in our house. We make it even simpler for a mid week meal by using a frozen fish mix. I also add a couple of hard boiled eggs to the recipe which spread amongst us adds very few calories to the meal but does add some bulk and protein. Lovely comfort food at this time of year without the guilt! Thanks again!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Tamsin and I love your added extras too – I always love eggs with fish pie, and as you say, it adds so little to the calories. Karen