...To think that fish pie is a complete faff to make

[Selks]

Finally the fish pie is in the oven. It generated a mammoth pile of washing up, with every pan and kitchen implement used, seemingly. I'm exhausted. Don't even feel like eating now. Good thing that (grown up) son is running late and we wouldn't have eaten until late anyway.

What a faff this dish is. It should be straightforward, theoretically, but always seems to take me an age to put together.

Sorry, long and boring post about fish pie.

It better be blooming nice now.

What dish do you make but find a huge faff?

I never cook anything that takes longer than about 15-30 mins otherwise we'd be eating at around 10!

(when I boil pots, I don't peel them and cut them small so they boil quicker! but I do tend to do fish pies/cottage pies far less frequently than easy things like chops)

Not a faff at all but I don't pre-cook the fish so it's one pan for the potatoes and one for the white sauce. Even easier if you buy a ready made white or cheese sauce from the chilled counter!

I have another receipe which doesn't even require these two pans!! It's from the Quaglino's receipe book and is more like a dauphinoise. Washing up is one grater and one knife.

I don't really like fish pie, but when i do make it, I make enough fish/sauce for at least two pies and freeze the other portions.

And often when I make mashed tatties, I will do extra and freeze the leftovers.

So, when I want fish pie, I just have to defrost the tatties and fish/sauce, bung them together and bake. I also don't think I would make the fish/sauce thing on the same day as mashing tatties. Too much like hard work for a dish that I'm not even that keen on!!

Same with lasagne etc. I batch cook a generic mince in tomato sauce for freezing which can then be turned into bolognaise, chilli, lasagne etc.

Teamlemon, mascarpone would work - it'd be extra creamy but that's no bad thing!

I tried Jamie Oliver's but found it a bit crunchy - I like my fp to be all oozing and melty, no bite to it. And the chilli I could have done without.

I had a recipe with leeks, white fish, cream and sliced potato. Very nice and very easy. I never bother with mash as it always goes wrong when I do.

Two words, OP. Marks. Spencer.

Jamie Oliver easy fish pie is the best

It is a faff, so make several and freeze. Then it is not a faff 2 out of 3 times

teamlemon, I think you'd be ok with marscapone...

Jamie's fish pie is fab, really fresh tasting (I tend to leave out the chillies so the dcs will eat it) and lemony. Really delish and super easy to make, esp if you use the grater bit of a food processor.

Jamie Olivers version is delicious and simple as pp said one dish and one grater and a knife/peeler. If you try the recipe though I always add extra creme fraught coz we like ours saucy

Fraught = fraiche stupid auto correction argh!

Ok, off to pick up son from the station then return to scoff fish pie. Thanks for the input folks, (and the ideas for easy fish thingies), have a lovely evening. x

I don't bother cooking the fish first. I just make a white sauce, then when its ready, stir in the fish (salmon, smoked haddock, and whatever white fish) and some chopped parsley. Top with mash, put in oven, easy-peasy!

I made Jamie's fish pie, well, a variant of!

I had a packet of Waitrose fish pie mix, and a couple of small salmon fillets and a dozen raw tiger prawns. My celery was a bit limp, it didn't grate well so there wasn't alot in the pie. I used 2 carrots instead. No chilli, and I only had dried parsley. The mascarpone was fine instead of creme fraiche.

It was very well recieved ans DS1 has deemed it worthy of "The List", which is the list of dinners I am permitted to serve him.