by Kinsey Brown

Fisherman's Curry Pie

by Kinsey Brown

By Kinsey Brown, @ironandpearls
Fisherwoman, F/V Lucid Dream

There’s a certain kind of meal you make when the weather’s closing in, the daylight’s short, and you’ve got a house full of people who’ve worked (or played!) hard and are ready to eat. This Fisherman’s Curry Pie is one of those dishes.

Wild salmon is the heart of this pie. Cut into small cubes, it cooks gently in a lightly spiced curry sauce that warms without overpowering the fish. I like keeping the pieces bite-sized but small enough that every forkful gets a bit of everything. Potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn fill it out, the way good fishing food always does: practical, filling, and meant to feed more than a few extra mouths. This is a recipe I always freeze an extra serving of to put in the boat freezer before a long fishing trip.

This is a crowd dish. It’s meant to be scooped out of a casserole pan, served hot, and passed down the table. I highly recommend serving this with apple chutney on the side, which brings a seriously delicious touch of sweetness that plays well with the curry and salmon. Like most good salmon recipes, this pie is forgiving, flexible, and built from what’s on hand. No peas? Used chopped cabbage instead!

Fisherman's Curry Pie

Ingredients

2 lbs or one full fillet of Alaskan salmon, skin removed and cut into small cubes
5-6 medium Yukon gold potatoes
4 large carrots, diced
1 can or yellow corn
1 can peas
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
⅓ cup whole milk plus more for potatoes
1 tbsp yellow curry powder
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp dill
1 tsp turmeric (optional)
1 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
3 tbsp butter, divided
¼ cup grated cheese (Gruyère or Parmesan)

Close-up of the fisherman’s curry pie filling, showing chunks of salmon mixed with potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn in a lightly spiced golden curry sauce.

Instructions

Boil the potatoes in salted water until forkable. Mash along with 1 tbsp butter, grated cheese, and a splash of milk until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste just like you would for regular mashed potatoes.

Dice the onion and garlic and simmer in a saucepan over medium heat until translucent. Add the corn, peas, and diced carrot. Add a dash of water and the spices and cook covered for several minutes until carrots are tender. Uncover and add the small cubes of salmon, size depends on what you’d like to eat but I like them very bitsized.

The fisherman’s curry pie filling with a mound of mashed potatoes placed on top, not yet spread, ready to be smoothed over before baking.

Once the fish is cooked bright pink add 2 tbsp of butter, ⅓ cup of milk and bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch and remove from heat. The mixture will thicken slightly.

Pour the fish and veggie mix along with any liquid into a casserole dish. Top with an even layer of mashed potatoes.