Cheat's Fish Pie: make Amelia Freer's super speedy supper

"What's for dinner?" The dreaded question that every family cook has to deal with daily. It's hard enough having fresh ideas, never mind finding a recipe that's quick and easy and healthy. For that reason, fish pie (all that mashing, poaching and roux-ing) is usually relegated to weekends. 

Nutritional Therapist and author Amelia Freer's Quick Fish Pie recipe taken from her latest book The Organised Cook: The life-changing way to save time, shop smarter and eat more healthily is almost too easy. When we tell you that the hardest part is grating the vegetables, that should give you an idea. It's basically an assemble and bake job. If you've ever made Jamie Oliver's fast fish pie, from which Amelia takes inspiration, you'll love this too. It's gluten-free and you can also make it dairy-free too.

Amelia Freer shows us how to keep an organised kitchen and create healthy dishes the whole family will enjoy. "This is a great family classic, but when made the traditional way, I find it quite time-consuming to prepare, so it’s not really a viable weekday meal. In this recipe, I’ve sped up the process, cheating a little on the white sauce, and using a great method of grating everything together (a brilliant technique learned from a Jamie Oliver recipe). Now we can enjoy this comforting pie without all the fuss."

Amelia Freer's Quick Fish Pie

Suitable for the whole family (GF)

• Serves 6
• Prep time: 20 mins
•  Cook time: 40 mins 

Ingredients:

• 180g crème fraîche (or use a dairy free alternative, such as oat cream)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 courgette, grated
• ½ leek, trimmed and grated
• 115g peas
• 2 large handfuls of spinach (about 40g)
• 800g raw fish pie mix (I used salmon, prawns and cod)
• 2 large potatoes (about 600g), grated
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 20g Cheddar, grated (optional)

Method:

You will need a grater and a medium sized baking dish

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200ºC/gas 6
2. Grate your vegetables (courgette, leek and potatoes) and set aside
3.  In a large bowl, mix together the crème fraîche, Dijon, dill, parsley and grated garlic.
4. Add the courgette, leek, peas, spinach and fish, and gently toss so everything is coated with the sauce. Tip into a baking dish and level the surface.
5. Mix the potatoes with a drizzle of the olive oil and the Cheddar, if using. Season with salt and pepper and use to top the fish mixture. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top.
6. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until bubbling and the top is crisping up and golden.

The Organised Cook: The life-changing way to save time, shop smarter and eat more healthily by Amelia Freer is out now, published by Lagom

Buy now, £12.50