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Masala fish pie

Masala fish pie

You’ve got to try this dish! It’s so easy to make, so tasty and smells amazing! The turmeric and saffron mash not only looks and tastes great but is ideal to use up potatoes. Frozen products like fish fillets and spinach used here are a really useful way to reduce waste as you only take what you need.
By Imran Nathoo
Serves 4
Prep/Cook time: 45-60 minutes
Golden potato topped masala fish pie in a ceramic dish

Ingredients

2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
2 leeks - cut lengthways and finely sliced
8 fresh curry leaves (can used dried)
1 whole green chilli
¼ tsp black mustard seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
¼ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
250ml passata
100ml coconut milk
5 frozen fish fillets
3 blocks of frozen spinach
Small handful of coriander – chopped
1kg of potatoes – peeled and quartered
Unsalted butter
Pinch of saffron
Corn flour
Fine sea salt to taste

Perfect portions

Use our portion calculator for a quick and simple way to check how much food to serve with this meal.

Use portion calculator

Recipe

  1. In a large saucepan on a low to medium heat, fry the leeks in 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil until softened.

  2. Add in the curry leaves, green chilli, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and cook for 5 minutes.

  3. Add the ground spices (except the saffron) and cook for another couple of minutes.

  4. Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for another 2 minutes.

  5. Add in the passata and coconut milk. Mix well.

  6. Add the frozen fish fillets. Add a dash of water if required to cover. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat, lid off and cook until the sauce has reduced to a thick consistency. (Some corn flour gradually sifted in and mixed through can help thicken the sauce as you don’t want to lose it all in the reduction process).

  7. Add in the spinach and cook until it has defrosted and mix through.

  8. Mix through the coriander.

  9. Season with salt to taste.

  10. Break up the fillets of fish with a spoon into chunks.

  11. Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Allow to cool.

  12. For the potatoes, boil in salted water for 20 minutes, drain and mash until smooth with lots of butter and an additional ¼ tsp of ground turmeric and a small pinch of saffron. Hello yellow mash!

  13. Top the masala fish with the bright yellow mash. Indent with a spoon to create ‘fish scales.’

  14. Cook in a preheated oven set at 180°C fan for 30 minutes. Then switch to a high grill to brown the top for that tandoor style look.

Make the most of your leftovers
Store in
Airtight container
Time
Fridge for 2 days
Where to store
Fridge
Reheat
Oven or microwave until piping hot. Reheat only once.

Perfect portions

Use our portion calculator for a quick and simple way to check how much food to serve with this meal.

Use portion calculator

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Inside of the fridge with someone changing the fridge temperature dial

Keep your fridge at 5°C or below

Did you know that adjusting the temperature of your fridge could help to preserve your food for three days longer than usual? A big win to help keep your food fresher for longer. Our fridge temperature tool can help you learn how to change the temperature on your specific fridge brand.