Fish finger pie with baked beans is a dish that is a boatload of retro fun, it’s a cottage pie with fish sticks, tinned beans & cheesy mash.
Cooking this recipe takes right around an hour although it can be prepared in advance, refrigerated and baked for 20 minutes before serving.
Fish Pie Meets Childhood Memories
Food should be a joyous celebration and definitely should not be taken too seriously and this recipe combines a load of childhood food fun!
Appearing hot on the tails of my corned beef and baked bean stew this fish finger pie is all about fulfilling my wife’s request for more beans.
It’s a long old story but she had cancer and a stoma and they were off the menu for a long time.
Yes, you read the past tense correctly! This recipe is our idea of celebration.
It is also a massive leap back to my childhood. Baked beans, fish fingers and cheesy mash, 12-year-old me would have been almost as excited as nearly 50-year-old me.
Although my fish finger curry with beans really gives it a run for its money!
This is essentially a fish cottage pie and it sits neatly alongside other British mash-topped pies.
I have, of course, got classic cottage pie and shepherd’s pie recipes but also a sausage and mash pie, haggis shepherds pie and a vegetarian shepherdess pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
What fish fingers are best for this?
It will work with any fish fingers however some fail to keep their crunch when the dish is baked.
I have been testing this recipe with loads of different fish fingers… I really do love my job!
The best that I have found for this recipe are Sainsbury’s chunky Taste the Difference fish fingers. You can use either the cod or haddock. They are also a perfect size for the baking dish I use.
Do I have to pipe on the mashed potato?
No, you can dollop it on and spread it out then rough up the surface with a fork.
I like to pipe it on because it looks great and also gives you loads of surface area to go crispy.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, you can put it all together and top it with the mash and then refrigerate it for up to 48 hours.
The fish fingers do lose a little crispness when doing this.
I would personally not freeze this dish, it would not be good to cook from frozen. Cooking this after defrosting would lead to quite a soggy dinner.
Serving Suggestions
As far as I am concerned this fish finger and baked bean pie is an all-in-one meal.
Although I will often have a slice of bread and butter to mop the plate clean afterwards.
My wife however loves this with tartar sauce, which I think is odd but it is an option!
Equipment Used
I only recommend brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop.
- Oven.
- 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
- 15cm or 6″ saucepan.
- 21cm x 16cm x 4.5cm or 8″ x 6″ x 2″ casserole dish.
- Vegetable peeler.
- Colander or sieve.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
Fish Finger Pie Recipe
This fish finger pie is a slice of retro British fun loaded with baked beans and cheese and it is topped with a glorious cheesy mash, food that definitely does not take itself too seriously!
Ingredients
- 8-10 Fish Fingers
- 500g (3-3½ Cups) Floury Potatoes
- 100g (⅔ Cup) Onion
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 400g (14oz) Tin Baked Beans
- 125ml (½ Cup) Vegetable Stock
- 50g (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Butter
- 100g (1 Cup) Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Tbsp Milk
- ½ Tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 200°C or 400°F and cook the fish fingers until they are golden and crisp. How long this will take will depend on your fish fingers, I use thick and chunky fish fingers that took 22 minutes. Once they are cooked remove them and set them aside.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into a 25mm or 1" cube.
- Bring a medium pan (20cm or 8") of salted water to a boil add the potatoes and cook until they are done which will take around 20 minutes.
- Cut the onion in half, then peel it and cut it into slices as thinly as you can.
- Heat a small pan (15cm or 6") over a medium-high heat and when it is hot add the vegetable oil.
- Throw in the sliced onions and cook them for 10 minutes stirring regularly.
- Add the beans and vegetable stock to the onions, stir to combine and set aside.
- Grate the cheese.
- Cut the butter into a 1 cm dice.
- When the potatoes are cooked drain them and allow the to steam dry for 60 seconds before mashing. I prefer to use a potato ricer!
- Whilst the potatoes are steam drying heat the milk until it begins to steam, you could use a small saucepan or a microwave to do this.
- Add the milk, butter and half of the grated cheese to the mashed potatoes and mix well to combine.
- Build your pie, ladle half of the beans into a casserole dish (21cm x 16cm x 4.5cm or 8″ x 6″ x 2″), then add the fish fingers and then the remaining baked beans.
- Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the black pepper.
- Finally, add the final layer of cheesy mashed potato, I prefer to pipe mine on with a star-shaped nozzle. You can spoon it on and smooth it out, but be sure to rough up the top with a fork so that you get lots of nice crispy bits.
- Bake in the oven at 200°C or 400°F on fan mode or at 220°C or 430°F in normal mode for 20 minutes or until the top is crispy and the bean juice is bubbling at the side of the pie.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1293Total Fat: 69gSaturated Fat: 29gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 1951mgCarbohydrates: 134gFiber: 17gSugar: 25gProtein: 45g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Tina
Thursday 26th of January 2023
Interesting recipe for sure. I figured out what fish fingers were, then what a floury potato was, but I'm flummoxed on "tin baked beans." Do they contain molasses, or are they simply canned beans? Thanks!
Brian Jones
Wednesday 1st of February 2023
Baked beans are a particularly British product, they are haricot beans in a tomato sauce. Depending on where you are you could hunt some down in the International aisle of a large superstore, most of the ones I have seen around the world tend to be made by Heinz.