5 of the best fish pies

This compilation of fish pies is Kiwi comfort food at its best.

It's only natural that we've got a yearning for pies at the moment... the combination of a hearty filling, and either a crunchy pastry or a creamy potato topping makes it one of our forever favourites in the comfort food class.

And with such amazing seafood at our fingertips, we believe the fish pie firmly belongs in the family of Kiwi cuisine. It's no wonder really when it feels like the happy coupling of two other favourites... the meat pie, and fish and chips.

Remember to always choose fish that is at its freshest, ideally bought on the day of cooking. And to serve, we recommend a platter of steam seasonal vegetables or a big fresh salad with plenty of colour and crunch.

If this has got you in a pie-loving sort of mood, you'll thoroughly enjoy our collections of savoury pies and chicken pies too.

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Traditional fish pie with pastry lid

Kathy Paterson's fish pie has traditional European flavours - the cream sauce is infused with parsley, bay leaf and lemon and is topped with a puff pastry lid. Using a pie bird (or an egg cup) to keep the pastry from sitting directly on the fish - this stops the pastry from going soggy and the result is that beautiful combination of crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Thai fish pie

Sachie Nomura does a twist on a classic fish pie by combining two dishes into this Thai fish pie; a potato top fish pie with a filling based on the popular Thai dish called tom ka gai.

A luxurious fish pie with fennel and prawns

A great fish pie that's equally suitable for the weeknight meal or a more fancy occasion like a dinner party. This pie has a creamy potato topping that is cooked to a golden finish. The pie filling uses fish stock and white wine made creamy with the use of a rich double cream. Prawns are nestled along side chunks of white fish (salmon works well too) and strips of fresh fennel.

The ultimate smoked fish pie

Nadia Lim brings us her ultimate smoked fish pie which uses three kinds of smoked fish - salmon, a white fleshed fish such as kahawai and smoked sardines - with silverbeet, in a delicious onion and cheese sauce. The pie is completed with a creamy kumara topping sprinkled with grated cheese to give it the classic golden crust.

Crumbed fish pie

This simple weeknight crumbed fish pie uses a combination of fresh white fish fillets and smoked fish (kahawai is used in this recipe) in a simple cream sauce. On top sits a breadcrumb and grated cheddar cheese mixture sits that's baked to a crispy golden crust. Take the flavours up a notch by adding greens to the filling (think celery, spinach, peas, herbs) or by throwing in a small handful of capers or chopped gherkins.