Caper, lemon and dill fish pie with puff pastry top (2024)

Home > Fish pie recipes > Caper, lemon and dill fish pie with puff pastry top

• Published:10 Jun 16
• Updated:18 Mar 24

• Test kitchen approved

Capers give the seafood filling of cod, smoked haddock and prawns, a natural saltiness and the buttery, melt in the mouth puff pastry topping makes this fish pie recipe a firm favourite.

Ingredients

For the master filling

• 300g skinless and boneless sustainable cod loin, cut into 2cm chunks
• 100g rock salt or coarse salt
• Sunflower oil for frying
• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 leeks, finely sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• 90g plain flour
• 150ml dry white wine
• >300ml fresh fish stock
• 220ml double cream
• Juice ½-1 lemon to taste
• 300g sustainable skinless and boneless smoked haddock, cut into 2cm chunks
• 150g sustainable raw peeled and deveined king prawns
• Medium bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped

For the topping

• 2 heaped tbsp rinsed and drained capers
• roughly chopped bunch of fresh dill
• 500g block all-butter puff pastry
• egg yolk
• a splash of double cream

You’ll also need…

• 2 litre ovenproof pie dish or 6 x 350ml pie dishes

Method

1. Heat the oven 220°C/200°C fangas 7.Put the cod in a non-metallic bowl, cover with the salt, then leave for 20 minutes (see Know-how). Thoroughly rinse the fish, then pat dry.
2. Meanwhile, heat a glug of oil and the butter in a flameproof casserole over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and leeks and fry for 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic, mustard and flour, then cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
3. Slowly stir in the stock, cream and juice of ½ lemon and cook, still stirring, for 5–10 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to hold its shape (see tip). If it isn’t quite there, turn the heat to low and keep stirring. Taste and add more lemon juice if it needs it.

Recipe continues after advertising

Advertisem*nt

4. Turn off the heat, then stir in the fish, prawns and parsley. Pour into the baking dish(es).
5. Roughly chop thecapers and mix with thefresh dill. Stir the caper mixture into the fish pie filling in the baking dish.
6. Roll out thepuff pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit the top of the pie dish with a 3-4cm overhang. Cut off thin strips from the edges of the rolled- out pastry to line the edge of the dish. Wet the edge with water, then lay the strips on top. Wet the pastry strips, then lay the large piece of pastry on top to cover the filling.
7. Brush with theegg yolk beaten with a splash of double cream, then trim off any overhanging pastry with kitchen scissors (decorate the top of the pie with the trimmings, if you like). Using a fork, prick the pastry a few times to let out the steam, then bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed.

Nutrition: per serving

Subscribe

Fancy getting a copy in print?

Subscribe to our magazine

Rate

You must be logged in to rate a recipe, click here to login.

Reviews

Related collections