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Little Fish Pies (Janet McKenzie Hill version)

Tucker Shaw

BY The Editors

PUBLISHED July 3, 2025

Janet McKenzie Hill's original 1918 recipe calls for barley flour, as wheat flour was strictly rationed at the time. This version favors wheat flour, which is easier to find these days than barley. This version specifies milk rather than fish broth; I find the result more satisfying. Use as much fish as you like; I think two cups is about right for a light meal for four. If you don’t have any leftover fish around, try canned salmon. Serve with a simple salad on the side and, if you like, a cool glass of white or rose wine. – Tucker Shaw

 

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Little Fish Pies (Janet McKenzie Hill version)

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Instructions

These are made of mashed potato and “left-over” fish. Rub over earthen ramekins with vegetable oil, press potatoes, mashed and seasoned as for the table, into them to line with a layer of potato half an inch thick. Make a cream sauce of 2 tablespoonfuls, each, of fat and barley flour, 1/4 teaspoonful, each, of salt and pepper, and 1 cup of fish broth or milk; add the beaten yolk of an egg, if at hand, and 1 1/4 cups of cooked fish, separated into flakes. Use this to fill the prepared ramekins. Cover the fish with cracker crumbs mixed with a teaspoonful of vegetable oil, and let reheat in the oven until the crumbs are browned.

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