
Fish and Watercress Pie
Find out how to make fish and watercress pie with this easy recipe – juicy prawns, salmon and cod fillets in a creamy sauce.
Quick Stats
Easy
1 pie
25 minutes bake time
Fish and Watercress Pie
Find out how to make fish and watercress pie with this easy recipe – juicy prawns, salmon and cod fillets in a creamy sauce.
Ingredients
- Jus-Rol™ Shortcrust Pastry Sheet
- 375g Salmon
- 375g Cod fillet
- 100g Prawns, cooked
- 250ml Milk or milk and cream combined
- 1 tbsp Flour
- 50g Watercress
- Egg, beaten to glaze
- Seasonings
Equipment required
- Pie Dish
- Pastry Brush
Techniques Used
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How to Roll Shortcrust Pastry
How to Roll Shortcrust Pastry
- For best results when rolling out shortcrust pastry use a large, clean dry area of the work surface and lightly dust it with plain flour.
- Place pastry dough on surface and lightly dust it and the rolling pin with flour.
- Roll pastry firmly, always rolling away from you, give the dough 2-3 rolls.
- Then turn the dough a quarter turn.
- Dust again if necessary and continue rolling out, frequently turning the pastry so it is not always rolled in the same direction as this causes shrinkage.
- When the pastry has increased in size, pick it up to turn/ line the tin by rolling it round the rolling pin.
- Lift the pin with the pastry around it carefully and turn it to lay out and continue rolling. Again this is done to prevent the pastry from stretching as you lift it which in turn would result in shrinkage in baking. Shortcrust pastry should be rolled out to approx. 3-5 mm. depth.
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How to Line a Flan Tin
How to Line a Flan Tin
- Roll out the pastry. Measure tin over rolled out pastry to ensure you will have enough to line the insides of the tin with a little excess to make it easier to work.
- Lift up pastry around rolling pin and gently unroll over flan tin, starting with the edge nearest to you.
- Gently ease the pastry into the tin, pressing it down the sides onto the base.
- Once you have pushed it in all the way round, go around again to press well down on to base, so that there is almost a ‘pleat’ of pastry at base of sides, and press into the flutes.
- Fold back excess pastry so that it hangs over the sides of the tin.
- To cut off the excess pastry roll the pin firmly over the top of the tin in both directions.
- Gently pull away excess pastry.
- Now gently pull up the sides of the pastry from the small excess you left at base so that the pastry stands slightly proud of the top. This will ensure a good depth to the sides of the flan if the pastry shrinks slightly in cooking.
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How to Make Shortcrust Pie Tops
How to Make Shortcrust Pie Tops
- For best results when making a pie with a pastry top or lid, choose a dish with a rim and allow the filling to get completely cold before topping with the pastry. Roll out pastry large enough to cover the dish and with some to spare. Cut a strip slightly wider than the dish rim from the sides of the rolled pastry.
- Brush dish rim with beaten egg or water.
- Place pastry strip on rim and press firmly down, continue with further strips until all rim covered.
- Brush Pastry rim with beaten egg or water.
- Roll pastry up on the rolling pin to lift it (as described in ‘Rolling out Shortcrust Pastry’ section) and gently unroll it over the pie dish.
- Press the pastry down onto the rim firmly all round.
- Using a sharp knife trim off excess pastry by cutting downwards against the edge of the dish. Retain the trimmings for decoration.
- Knock up edges to form a good seal by holding a sharp knife horizontally against the cut edge and gently tapping the pastry edge all the way round.
- Make a fluted edge by laying your thumb and forefinger of the left hand on the top of the pastry facing outwards, then with the fore finger of your right hand gently pushing the pastry edge up against the other two fingers as shown
- Continue until all edge is fluted.
- Make a small steam escape hole in centre of lid.
- Re roll trimmings by gathering into a ball and kneading gently together and roll out as usual.
- To make rounded leaves cut out rounds of pastry using a small biscuit or cookie cutter.
- Then use cutter to cut out a ‘leaf’ shape from the discs, you should achieve two from each disc.
- With the point of a sharp knife mark veins on the leaves.
- Brush pie top with beaten egg for a golden glaze and arrange the leaves on top of pie in a pattern of your choice.
- Brush again with beaten egg and bake as directed in recipe.
Method
- Preheat oven to 200ºC (180ºC for fan assisted ovens) 400ºF, Gas Mark 6.
- Place your fish in an oven proof dish, cover with milk and poach in the oven for approx. 18 minutes.
- Remove fish from the milk (reserving the milk) and break into large pieces returning to the oven proof dish, with the prawns.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and gradually stir in the flour, allow to cook for 1 minute, then stir in remaining milk, bring to boil stirring all the while to thicken the sauce. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Meanwhile chop the watercress finely, stir into the cooled sauce and season to taste, then pour over the fish in the dish.
- Unroll the pastry and cover your dish fully which may overlap depending on the size of your dish. Carefully trim the edges with a sharp knife, then press the edges of the pastry firmly down around rim. Make a small hole in top to allow steam to escape and brush pastry with beaten egg.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
- Garnish with remaining chopped watercress and serve hot.