I've got some cod, parsley, capers and puff pastry plus white sauce ingredients- how do I make a pie? Do I have to cook the fish first or just shove it into a dish? And do I need to thicken white sauce with an egg or anything? Thanks for any advice.

There's probably loads of ways you could do it. This is how I would do it though.

Poach the fish in the milk till cooked through.

Make a roux with melted butter and flour and beat in the milk to make the sauce, add parsley and simmer gently for about 5 mins to cook the flour.

Add the flaked up fish and capers to the sauce and put into your dish. Cover with the puff pastry, brush with beaten egg and bake till golden.

You could also add a handful of prawns or some smoked fish for additional texture and flavour.

Thank you that's really helpful. sorry to bug you but could you outline how to poach the fish? I'm thinking heat the milk in a shallow pan and add the fish making sure it's covered by the milk. How do you know when it's cooked?

Thank you that's really helpful. sorry to bug you but could you outline how to poach the fish? I'm thinking heat the milk in a shallow pan and add the fish making sure it's covered by the milk. How do you know when it's cooked?

Thats pretty much it. The fish will be opaque arther than the slightly transluscent look it has when raw. It will also start to flake if you press it a bit. There may be more technical ways to tell but that's how I do it. The benefit of poaching is that if you over cook it it won't be dry!

Obviously how long it takes depends on the size and thickness of your fish.

This site reckons 5 minutes for fillets and 10 for steaks, but it does depend on how thick your steaks are:

http://thefoody.com/basic/cookfish.html

Oh yes, I would also season the milk

Thanks so much excellent help, I'll let you know how it goes!

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't like pastry with fish that much. I'd always use well seasoned mashed spud. I'd also use the poaching milk to put into the sauce.

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't like pastry with fish that much. I'd always use well seasoned mashed spud. I'd also use the poaching milk to put into the sauce.

I did say to use the milk to make the sauce... at least implicitly.

I would use mash too, but the OP asked about using pastry

Well I did it andit was nice but yes I'd got the pastry and had to eat up some frozen chips with it as we don't have a freezer so didn't want to over-potato!
I didn't have chance to get more fish but my mum suggested boiled egg which was nice. I also put some mustard in but I'm not sure if I'd use capers again- I either used too many or they were too overpowering. I added cheese too. All in all it went well, thanks!

Well I did it andit was nice but yes I'd got the pastry and had to eat up some frozen chips with it as we don't have a freezer so didn't want to over-potato!
I didn't have chance to get more fish but my mum suggested boiled egg which was nice. I also put some mustard in but I'm not sure if I'd use capers again- I either used too many or they were too overpowering. I added cheese too. All in all it went well, thanks!

Glad you enjoyed it! I tend to cook like that most of the time - use what I have in and make somethuing up. Its never been a total disaster and usually works out ok!

Well I did it andit was nice but yes I'd got the pastry and had to eat up some frozen chips with it as we don't have a freezer so didn't want to over-potato!
I didn't have chance to get more fish but my mum suggested boiled egg which was nice. I also put some mustard in but I'm not sure if I'd use capers again- I either used too many or they were too overpowering. I added cheese too. All in all it went well, thanks!

Seems fair :thumbsup: Glad you enjoyed it, that's the main thing! Like the idea of a bit of mustard too!

corse grain mustard is nice in a fish pie but only a tiny bit or it would over power

i use cockels mussels prawns and cod yum yum