Have I got a treat for you with this new filo pastry fish pie recipe?! (that’s a resounding yes, in case you were wondering!) So yes we all love a good fish pie, in fact I’ve always made fish pies but I’ve made them the more traditional way – you know, with double cream, with puff pastry or maybe mash potato topping or sometimes even a mix of potato and sweet potato on top.
But then I got thinking…I still like those pies but I actually really like butternut squash as well. Actually once, I had some leftover squash purée which I put into a fish pie and I absolutely loved the new flavours.
So this time I wanted to incorporate those squash vibes but I also wanted an option for a healthier pie. And that’s when I thought about the filo pastry. You see, you still get the texture, as the filo crisps up really well once baked. But you don’t get the extra calories from the potato or puff pastry. It’s not something I’ll make every time I want a pie, but it’s an option!
Top Tips
So, I use roasted garlic for this recipe – I love roasted garlic. The taste is much more mellow than raw garlic and sweeter too. I think it makes for a more rounded dish. But feel free to use raw garlic – just make sure you grate it (maybe use a Microplane grater for this) and also perhaps use one less clove (depending on how much of a garlic lover you are!)
The butternut squash is also roasted for this recipe – again I like the texture more this way, but equally you can steam it and continue from there.
I also use crème fraiche as an alternative for double cream, because it gives an extra tanginess to balance out the sweetness of the squash. Double cream can be used as an option here.
Finally I added spinach leaves to my fish pie as my kids will eat spinach. Feel free to leave the leaves out or to add other vegetables to the mix. Just make sure that if you add root vegetables, that you cook them first or they’ll be raw in the finished pie. Whatever you do, this recipe makes an awesome filo pastry fish pie – can’t wait for you to try it!
Right then, let’s get to the recipe then, shall we?
Filo Butternut Squash Fish Pie
Equipment
- Ovenproof pie dish
Ingredients
- 6 fillets any fish or smoked fish (skinless), chopped into chunks around 3-4 cms
- 100 g small prawns or chopped large prawns optional
- 1 handful finely chopped parsley
- 400 g roasted butternut squash roast the small chunks in the oven (seasoned with salt and olive oil) for 30-40 mins
- 4 cloves garlic – roasted if you can't roast, then grate/crush the cloves
- 500 ml vegetable stock or fish stock
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp crème fraiche you may need more – depends how thick you want the sauce to be
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach
- 1 packet filo pastry around 10 – 12 sheets
- 100 g butter – melted
- 1-2 tbsp honey optional
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 180C (fan) Take the roasted butternut squash and add some of the warm stock to it in a pan. Squeeze the roasted garlic purée out of the cloves and add to the sauce (or add the grated/crushed garlic). Use a stick blender to blitz it into a purée. Combine the rest of the stock, once blended, to form a smooth sauce.
- Stir in the crème fraiche and the nutmeg; season with some salt and pepper. If wanted, add a tbsp of honey – this is optional and depends on your taste.
- Add the chopped parsley to the sauce and stir in. Set aside
- Take the fish pieces and arrange them in the pie dish. Season liberally and then top with the fresh spinach.
- Pour the butternut squash sauce over the fish and spinach.
- Lay out the filo pastry with a damp clean cloth on top. The pastry layers are normally 20cm x 30cm ish)
- Remove a layer and brush with melted butter. Cut widthways into 3 pieces (each piece should be a rectangle – eg 20cm x 10cm). Scrunch up roughly like a concertina and place on top of the fish. Keep doing this with the rest of the layers until the pie has been topped.
- Put the pie into the oven (180C fan), and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the filo pastry is golden brown.
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