Vegetarian ‘Fish’ Pie
My husband turned vegetarian a few years ago but he always had a soft spot for seafood and especially a classic fish pie. I’ve never tried a real fish pie before but I suddenly had the urge to try and recreate a veggie version – with silken tofu. I’m told it was a pretty close match but will let you be the judge!
Ingredients
500g baby potatoes (or any variety of peeled potato)
350g silken tofu
400g side vegetables of your choice (I used carrots and peas as they came ready prepared my grocery store)
20g butter + 15g extra to brush on top or season your veg
20g plain flour
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup milk
Handful of chopped parsley
1/2 cup tbsp finely chopped leek or spring onions
1 tsp garlic powder
30g grated cheddar (optional, I haven’t used this in my version)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Wash and chop your potatoes. Add them to a pan of boiling water and boil until tender.
Heat the butter in a sauce pan on a low heat and when fully melted, sprinkle in the flour and the chopped leek. Or be lazy and chuck it all in at once like I did – not the preferred option but about 10 seconds faster!
Slowly pour in the milk and keep stirring to form a sauce. Keep adding in milk until you reach you desired consistency.
Then add the silken tofu and gently pull apart in the saucepan so it disintegrates but still remains in visible pieces. Add in the chopped parsley and cheese if you are using it. Stir well and turn off the heat but leave the pan on the hob so it keeps cooking. Crack in some black pepper.
When the potatoes are cooked, drain into a bowl. Add in the garlic powder and a sprinkling of salt to taste. Mash the potatoes until smooth but still chunky. You can add butter or milk to this if you prefer a softer or creamier texture.
Pour your creamy tofu “fish” filling into an oven proof dish. Fill 2/3 of the dish and top with the mashed potato. You can drizzle some olive oil or butter on top to get a crispy potato top.
Stick the pie in the oven on 200ºC heat for about 10 minutes or until the potato top is golden brown.
While your pie is in the oven, prepare your side veg. I just steamed some carrots and peas with a little bit of butter and salt.
Plate up your pie with the veg and dig in! Not a dish well suited to presentation but trust, me it’s deliciously creamy and filling. Give it a go!
