White Fish Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add milk and lay fish in the milk to poach. Sprinkle with thyme, sea salt, and pepper. Cover the pan and bring milk to very low boil. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

3. Remove fish to plate and use a fork to break up into bite-sized chunks. Pour milk into a bowl and set aside.

4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn heat to low and scrape the veggies to the side of the skillet. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and lemon juice to the empty spot. Sprinkle flour over the melted butter; whisk and cook until it forms a thick, golden paste, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Combine the veggies back in with the roux. Add the milk and fish back to the skillet. Gently toss together. Remove from heat.

6. Add 1/2 of the fish mixture to the prepared casserole dish, then top with 2 cups of the mashed potatoes. Repeat the layers once more. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with Cheddar cheese.

7. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Cook's Notes:

You can use cod instead of haddock, and frozen shredded hash browns instead of mashed potatoes.

Because of food allergies we make this with soy milk and gluten-free flour. But the recipe above is the one I grew up on. To cut down on the fat, you can spray the skillet with nonstick cooking spray for the poaching step and the saute step. However you will need the butter for the roux.