Parmesan & Dill Fish Pie

peas, sweet potato, fish…oh my!

Picture the scene: you break through a buttery sweet potato crust to uncover a rich seam of creamy parmesan and dill sauce which conceals chunks of tender white fish, delicate smoked salmon and juicy shrimp.

Apologies for the food porn but I just had to share that experience with you.

This pie was that good.

I know I swore off fish but all the fish used in this pie was carefully vetted – there’s nothing radioactive in there (I hope! If I start glowing I’ll let you know).

You can experiment with different types of fish if, like me, you are meddlesome that way. I believe the guiding principle should be white fish, some smoked fish (haddock would be good!) and some seafood.

That keeps things varied and interesting.

this crust conceals a bubbling creamy layer of fishy delight

You could also mix up the topping – make it half sweet potato and half white potato or half sweet potato and half parsnip.

That’s the genius of this dish, you can’t really go wrong.

But, before I put myself out of business, I recommend that you try my version to start with.

You won’t need convincing to make it again…and that’s a TMBL guarantee.

someone please invent a time machine so I can go back and eat it again

Parmesan & Dill Fish Pie (serves 3-4)

• 2 small fillets tilapia
• 4 oz smoked salmon, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 8-10 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup garden peas
• 1 cup parmesan
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tsps dill weed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 tbsp arrowroot
• 1 tsp lemon juice

1. Put the sweet potato in a pot of salted, boiling water and boil for 10 minutes ’til soft. Drain, add butter, season and mash well.
2. Season the tilapia, then poach (simmer in a saucepan over a medium heat)  it in the milk and bay leaves for about 6 minutes until it turns opaque and flakes easily. Remove from milk and set aside.
   

   the tilapia, pre-poaching

3. Remove the bay leaves from the milk, take it off the heat and whisk in the arrowroot. This should make it thicken. Add the 1/2 cup parmesan and stir until smooth and thick. Stir in the dill and lemon juice. Set aside to cool.
4. Flake the tilapia into chunks and put in a casserole dish along with the shrimp, peas and salmon.
5. Pour over the dill sauce and stir ’til all the fish is coated.
6. Spoon the mashed sweet potato over the top. Once the layer is complete, sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the top.
   

   adding the all-important sweet potato layer

7. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Like this? You might also like:

• Sweet Potato Cottage Pie
• Parmesan & Toasted Almond Grouper
• Catfish Fingers & Tartar Sauce
• Mediterranean Fish Stew

This post was featured at The Healthy Home Economist