Fish pie: would love to make BUT

[Stumpedasatree]

have been hesitating due to the cost of fish these days, and I cannot seem to find the bags of fish pie mix that used the be in supermarkets. I can’t see the fish for it costing much less than £12 - 4 healthy appetites. Would love to hear some suggestions or solutions if anyone has any 🐟

Sainsbury's sell the bags in the freezer section for about £4.50. Aldi or Lidl also sell bags in the fresh fish part for about £3.00.

Tesco sells a mix in the fresh fish section too for £4.55

Iceland is £4.50, Asda £5.50 Tesco £4.90

One bag would make a pie big enough for 4 but padded out with eggs, spinach and carrots. I use Jamie Oliver's recipe but sometimes replace the mash topping with breadcrumbs.

You can get frozen bags of cheap white fish from the freezer section in Aldi. Eke out the fish pie with hard boiled eggs.

Peas and parsley sauce in it is lovely

I don't use fish pie mix because I don't like salmon in it. I do tend to collect and freeze yellow label fish until I have enough. But Aldi and Lidl have bags of frozen white fish fillets and that makes a lovely fish pie with a piece of smoked haddock. Top tip-a few very finely chopped anchovies really add to the flavour. And a couple of leeks and some mushrooms bulk it out-you can add a fish stock cube if you like.

Lidls fish pie mix is £3.79 and the fish is really good.

As @CurlewKate , I pick up reduced fish and freeze every-time I spot it. Lidl fresh fish pie mix is always reduced at my local store, as is Tescos, so I snaffle those up. Cheap prawns and Hard boiled eggs go in to fill it out more , along with spinach and if Ive leeks, I soften some sliced leeks and stir into the mash before topping with cheese. Adding the extra veg really helps to fill you

I chuck sweetcorn into my mix. With leeks, it’s quite colourful!

(Not a fan of hard boiled eggs, though)

I think if you can't find the frozen bags of fish pie mix this might be a temporary supply issue at your supermarket - I was in Sainsburys, Waitrose and M&S this past weekend (searching for something else!) and there was frozen fish pie mix at all three, and it was on the fresh fish counter at Waitrose reduced on a Sunday afternoon as well. So I bet if you try again this week you'll find some!

I bulk mine out with boiled eggs, leeks and peas. Nice to get the veg in the pie as well as on the side.

I agree that fish is so expensive now but I do love a fish pie. I never use the amount of fish in the recipe and I add peas, carrot, boiled eggs, spinach etc to bulk it out a bit.

I eat a lot of fish since I've cut down on how much meat I eat. Iceland is great for frozen fish and most of it is on 3 for £10. If I'm making a fish pie, I'll bulk It out with loads of veg and a tin of tuna as well.

The recipe I use is this Rick Stein one:
https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/fish-pie/

But instead of the specified fish I use a mix of (usually reduced) frozen fish, frozen calamari, frozen prawns and frozen mussels. The only place I have found frozen mussels lately is Sainsburys. (Waitrose do tinned smoked mussels but they are expensive and taste a bit weird in a fish pie.)

Used to use seafood medley (not fish pie mix) from Aldi for the shellfish part of it but they haven't had it for ages and I think the way I am doing it now is probably a bit cheaper.

Just to add, I sprinkle the frozen peas in a layer over the fish in sauce, before the mash. It stops it sinking in. Works a treat on shepherd's pie, cottage pie, etc too!

I grew up with fish pie using fish from the market at the harbour. I don't use fish pie mix unless it's yellow labelled, but when poverty stricken, used coley. I think they sell it for pets, but it's perfectly reasonable. And hard boiled eggs and prawns, and cheese in the mash. If I feel like it.

One bag of fish pie mix does five of us with second helping or leftovers for two or three.
I use Jamie Oliver's recipe with leeks and carrots. I don't put any eggs in though. We have it with lots of green vegetables.

All this fish pie talk is making me hungry, I'm going to add fish pie mix to my shopping list.

I have been known to bung in a drained tin of tuna, as well as cheap frozen prawns. And my secret ingredient is a sprinkling of fresh or dried seaweed.

Some really delicious sounding ideas here! Picked up 2 bags of frozen fish pie mix in Lidls tonight. Fish pie next week!!

Another recipe recommendation here, I always use the BBC Good Food one and it's fab every time. Makes me want fish pie for tea now.