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    Home » Recipes » Easy Meals

    Healthy Fish Pie with Cauliflower Topping

    June 18, 2018 By Monika Last Updated February 3, 2022 30 Comments

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    This healthy fish pie with cauliflower topping has all the qualities of a great, hearty comfort food dish but with a lot less calories. Plus it comes with a vegetable already in it so there is no need to make a side dish!

    Healthy fish pie with cauliflower topping in white oval casserole dish on wooden board with fork and partial view of white plate with pie.

    This delicious, healthy fish pie without potato is super quick and easy to throw together.  Just make a simple 4-ingredient sauce, pour over the fish, cover with the cauliflower mixture and bake!

    Healthy fish pie with cauliflower

    Cauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables I know.  It is delicious in a huge number of very different dishes.  They include snack recipe ideas to soups, salads and main dishes.  I am constantly  finding new ways of incorporating cauliflower into my dishes.

    My love of cauliflower is well documented in recipes such as these hugely popular healthy cheese scones with cauliflower rice or Cauliflower Pomegranate Salad with Yogurt Dressing .  Or this more recent recipe, Cauliflower Tabbouleh with Pomegranate.

    The idea for this no potato fish pie with cauliflower topping came from my cauliflower rice crusted chicken recipe I made a while ago.  The cauliflower rice crust gave this recipe a bit of crunch while the chicken underneath was deliciously tender and moist.  Just as it should be.

    I wanted the same crunchy topping effect for my healthy fish pie recipe.  Crunchy on top and deliciously creamy on the inside.  And it was!

    Top down view of fish pie with cauliflower topping on top of white plate with lemon wedge and fork and inside white casserole dish.

    How do you make fish pie healthy?

    Well, simply by making a few healthy swaps, which in no way compromised the flavour!

    The most obvious healthy swap - the cauliflower - happily replaced traditional mashed potatoes.  The added crunch works extremely well with the creamy filling!

    I swapped butter for olive oil, both in the sauce as well as the topping.  Delicious. Turns out butter is not essential in pies!

    I used semi-skimmed milk to make the sauce.  Works great.  Turns out heavy cream is really not essential for making creamy sauces!

    How to make easy fish pie recipe: step-by-step

    This cauliflower fish pie is very easy to make and requires a lot less preparation time than traditional fish pie.  There is no need to peel and cook potatoes as there aren't any in this recipe!

    1.Start by making the cauliflower rice.  Simply put roughly chopped cauliflower in a blender and blitz to obtain a crumbly mixture.  Take care not to overblend as it may become mushy.  Combine with breadcrumbs and cheese, season to taste and set aside.

    Cauliflower rice, grated cheese and breadcrumbs in large metal bowl.

    2. Arrange the fish pieces in your pie dish, drizzle over lemon juice, season and scatter the lemon zest.

    Raw fish pieces in oval, white dish.

    3. To make the sauce in a small saucepan heat up the oil, add the flour and whisk quickly until the mixture thickens.  Add the milk and bring to the boil whisking all the time.  When the sauce thickens remove from the heat.

    White sauce in small saucepan with green whisk on top of cooling rack.

    4. Pour the sauce over the fish (the sauce will be thick).

    Fish pieces with creamy sauce in white oval dish.

    5. Top the pie with the cauliflower mixture (without pressing down).  Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 30 minutes.

    Pie in white oval dish topped with cauliflower rice.

    Can I adapt this low carb fish pie recipe

    Yes you can! I used a combination of salmon and cod in this low fat fish pie but you could also use haddock.  But if you prefer to use just one type of fish that's absolutely fine too.

    Top tips

    • Use salmon and/or any white fish.
    • Process the cauliflower briefly, until crumbly. Do not overblend the mixture.
    • The sauce I used in this recipe is a very basic white sauce, which you can use in a huge number of dishes.  Check out ALL my recipes where I’ve used this simple white sauce. You won’t believe how versatile it is!
    • It is important to season the fish, the sauce as well as the cauliflower topping.
    • Best served immediately.
    • Freeze the pie, uncooked, covered, for up to 3 months.

    Close-up view of fish pie with cauliflower topping in white oval dish on top of wooden board.

    More one pot healthy fish recipe ideas

    If you are into fish pies you might also like this nutritious salmon pot pie with leek, spinach and sweet potato as well as fish casserole with vegetables.  You might also like leftover salmon and potato bake and easy tuna bake with butternut squash.

    You might also like this collection of 13 healthy, easy one pot chicken recipes!

    Keep in touch!

    If you make this fish pie recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!

    Recipe

    Healthy fish pie with cauliflower topping in white oval casserole dish on wooden board with fork and partial view of white plate with pie.

    Healthy Fish Pie with Cauliflower Topping

    This Healthy Fish Pie with Cauliflower Topping has all the qualities of a great, hearty comfort food dish but with a lot less calories - plus it comes with a vegetable already in it so there is no need to make a side dish!
    4.57 from 16 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Main
    Cuisine: fish
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 5 servings
    Calories: 344kcal
    Author: Monika Dabrowski

    Ingredients

    • 1.1 pounds (500 g) salmon/cod/haddock skinless, boneless, chopped into chunks
    • 10.58 ounces (300 g) cauliflower roughly chopped
    • 4 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch/corn flour
    • ½ cup (125 ml) semi-skimmed milk
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus zest of 1 lemon
    • ⅓ cup (40 g) cheddar cheese coarsely grated
    • 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
    • fine sea salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C/ gas mark 5. You will need a medium size oven/pie dish (at least 6 cm deep).
    • Place the fish pieces in the pie dish, season, drizzle with the lemon juice and sprinkle the zest over the whole thing. Set aside.
    • Roughly chop the cauliflower, place in a blender and blitz briefly until the mixture becomes crumbly (take care not to overblend and turn it into mush). Combine with the breadcrumbs and cheese, season, stir and set aside.
    • To make the sauce in a small saucepan heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil, add the flour, lower the heat and quickly stir using a whisk until well combined and there are no lumps. Add the milk, season to taste, turn up the heat again and stir until the mixture has thickened and starts to bubble up, all the time using the whisk.
    • Pour the sauce over the fish, cover with the cauliflower mixture (do not press down!), drizzle the remaining oil over the whole thing and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • Use salmon and/or any white fish.
    • Process the cauliflower briefly, until crumbly. Do not overblend the mixture.
    • The sauce I used in this recipe is a very basic white sauce, which you can use in a huge number of dishes.  Check out ALL my recipes where I’ve used this simple white sauce. You won’t believe how versatile it is!
    • It is important to season the fish, the sauce as well as the cauliflower topping.
    • Best served immediately.
    • Freeze the pie, uncooked, covered, for up to 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 183mg | Potassium: 886mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 144IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 2mg

    *Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.

    **A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @Monika8021 or tag #EverydayHealthyRecipes!

     

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    659 shares

    Comments

      4.57 from 16 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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    1. Tracy Abraham says

      June 30, 2023 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe. Sometimes I follow it exactly and sometimes I use extra like today, I have spinach to use up so I stirred it into the sauce

      Reply
      • Monika says

        July 01, 2023 at 9:21 am

        Adding spinach is a great idea:)

        Reply
        • Paula Dutton says

          September 05, 2024 at 6:04 pm

          5 stars
          Oh my goodness this was so tasty. I made the mistake of trying to grate the lemon after juicing it (d'oh) and didn't get any zest for the fish haha. It made no difference to the taste, it was amazing. I had to make my own gluten free breadcrumbs for the first time ever and they were perfect.

          Reply
          • Monika says

            September 06, 2024 at 10:56 am

            Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it:)

            Reply
    2. Maeve Bell says

      December 14, 2022 at 9:44 am

      5 stars
      Is it possible to prepare cauliflower crumbs a day before needing to use them please

      Reply
      • Monika says

        December 14, 2022 at 6:55 pm

        I haven't tried it so can't make any guarantees, but I think if you cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight it should be fine. If it becomes a little moist you can always add a bit more breadcrumbs. Hope it works out ok:)

        Reply
      • T MYERS says

        November 10, 2024 at 7:19 pm

        Could you use canned salmon in this recipe?

        Reply
        • Monika says

          November 11, 2024 at 10:17 am

          I haven't tried it so I am not sure if it would work. It might and I think it's a question of personal preference.

          Reply
    3. Linda Morrison says

      September 04, 2021 at 4:21 pm

      4 stars
      I added a pinch of mustard powder, a knob of cream cheese half a veg stock cube with garlic and herbs to the sauce to make it super tasty and the stirred some baby spinach leaves into the sauce.
      Love the touch of green.

      One of my friends won't eat cheese..

      Reply
      • Monika says

        September 05, 2021 at 9:09 pm

        Love all these tweaks, especially the addition of the spinach!

        Reply
    4. Sarah says

      January 08, 2021 at 10:39 am

      5 stars
      I cooked this tonight and it was amazing. The lemon on the fish also gave it a beautiful flavour

      Reply
      • Monika says

        January 08, 2021 at 5:59 pm

        Thank you for your feedback, glad you enjoyed this recipe:)

        Reply
    5. Brian says

      February 01, 2020 at 11:09 am

      Hi Monika - just wondering if the bottom of the pie is "mushy" ? it looks like there is some water at the bottom of the dish in your picture. Thanks ! \Brian 🙂

      Reply
      • Monika says

        February 01, 2020 at 2:41 pm

        Hi Brian, fish releases water as it cooks but the white sauce will balance out the moisture so the sauce will have the right consistency. As this is a healthy, low fat pie I didn't use very much sauce but you can add more if you like.

        Reply
    6. Liz says

      June 27, 2018 at 4:03 am

      I wonder if you could use chickpea crumbs instead of bread crumbs for a gluten free version? Think I will try ti. Thank you for bringing to FF.

      Reply
      • Monika says

        June 28, 2018 at 7:06 am

        I am not sure as I've never used chickpea crumbs, but you could also use gluten free breadcrumbs.

        Reply
    7. Liz says

      June 27, 2018 at 4:02 am

      I wonder how the cauliflower would be mixed with chickpea crumbs instead of bread crumbs??? Think I will try it.

      Thank you for bringing this to FF.

      Reply
      • Monika says

        June 28, 2018 at 7:08 am

        I need to look for these chickpea crumbs!

        Reply
    8. Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says

      June 25, 2018 at 8:07 pm

      5 stars
      Such a clever idea, using cauliflower! Love how you've made it healthier AND easier!! Eb x

      Reply
      • Monika says

        June 25, 2018 at 10:01 pm

        Thanks Eb! Healthy and easy is my middle name!

        Reply
    9. Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says

      June 21, 2018 at 1:57 pm

      5 stars
      This fish pie looks like pure decadent comfort food—but it's lightened up: yay! I love swapping pureed cauliflower for mashed potatoes whenever I can, although I often have to do a mix of both (my kids figure it out, otherwise!).

      Reply
      • Monika says

        June 21, 2018 at 3:03 pm

        Thanks Michelle! Mixing potatoes and cauliflower is a good idea. It's hard to fool kids, isn't it?

        Reply
    10. Balvinder says

      June 21, 2018 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      This definitely deserve a title of healthy pie.

      Reply
      • Monika says

        June 21, 2018 at 3:04 pm

        Thanks Balvinder!

        Reply
    11. Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says

      June 19, 2018 at 8:22 am

      That is a SERIOUSLY healthy fish pie! Love the topping 'twist' - sounds amazing xx

      Reply
      • Monika says

        June 19, 2018 at 2:11 pm

        Thanks Kate! Glad you like it:)

        Reply
    12. JBS says

      June 19, 2018 at 7:01 am

      love the cauliflower idea with the fish
      YUMMY

      Reply
      • Monika says

        June 19, 2018 at 2:10 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
        • Edmund Davies says

          February 27, 2025 at 6:06 pm

          5 stars
          I added some lamb mince into mine and it was delicious !

          Reply
          • Monika says

            February 28, 2025 at 10:03 am

            Glad to hear it:)

            Reply

    Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking.

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