This is a very indulgent recipe that will undoubtedly impress your family and friends. It is costly to make because of the fresh seafood but the flavor makes it worth it. The top crust is crispy and buttery, and when eaten with the creamy seafood mixture, it’s heaven for seafood lovers. This is adapted from Ina Garten’s Seafood Potpie recipe. She adds in pearl onions with the frozen peas, which I do not, but that is certainly an option for you. Like any potpie, once you cut it to serve, it will be somewhat runny so I prefer to serve it in a large shallow bowl.
TIPS: This can be made in one large, shallow casserole dish, or in individual deep ramekins, just be sure to roll out and cut your dough accordingly. Lobster meat can be hard to find. You can use leftover lobster meat if you were lucky enough to have any left over form a lobster boil. You can purchase fresh, frozen or canned cooked lobster meat depending on where you live. Another option is to buy uncooked lobster tails (three 4-oz tails or two 6-oz tails) and cook them yourself. If you do this, then this also can become your fish stock:
Fish stock: (Alternative to step 2 in recipe below ) Put 3 1/2 cups of water in a medium pot and add 1 tsp salt. Bring water to a simmer and add raw lobster tails. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until meat is cooked. During the last 2 minutes of cooking add in the shrimp and scallops and cook for 2 minutes until firm (but possibly not fully cooked). Scoop out shrimp and scallops with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl. Remove lobster tails and run under cold water to cool. Add 1/2 tsp pepper to the broth and pour through a fine mesh strainer until you have 3 cups to use as your fish stock in the recipe below. You can also get your 3 cups by mixing some of this stock together with some of the store-bought clam or fish stock. With kitchen shears cut down the length of the white underside of the lobster tail from top to bottom. Spread tail apart with your hands and peel out the tail meat.
Seafood Potpie
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 lb very cold unsalted butter, diced (one stick)
- 1/3 C ice water
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water or cream
For the Potpie:
- 1/4 lb butter (one stick)
- 1 1/2 C onion chopped
- 1 C fennel bulb chopped
- 1/2 C all-purpose flour
- 3 C fish stock or clam juice (see TIPS above)
- 1/2 lb medium or large uncooked shrimp peeled and deveined, no tails
- 1/2 lb uncooked scallops (if large then quarter them, if smaller halve them horizontally)
- 3/4 lb cooked lobster meat, cut into bite size cubes (see TIPS above)
- 1 Tbsp dry Sherry or Pernod
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 C frozen peas (not baby peas)
- 1/3 C minced fresh parsley
Instructions
For the Pastry:
- In a food processor with a steel blade add the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the diced cold butter and pulse about 10 times, until butter is the size of small peas. Then add the water and pulse until the dough starts to just come together (sticks together when pinched) adding a bit more water if necessary.
- Dump the dough onto a floured surface and press quickly into a tight ball. Flatten the ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Can be made ahead a few hours.
For the Potpie:
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish or equivalent sized large round or oval dish. (Alternatively grease 6-8 individual ramekins). Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 degrees convection).
- Bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Once simmering, add the scallops and shrimp and cook about 2 minutes, just until firm. (They may not be fully cooked but will cook later in the oven). Shut off heat and remove the seafood to a large bowl, reserving the stock.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fennel and cook for about 10-12 minutes until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the flour and cook over low heat about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Slowly add in the stock, Sherry or Pernod, cream, salt and pepper and simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally , until thickened into a sauce-like consistency. Shut off heat.
- Gently stir in the scallops, shrimp, lobster, peas and parsley until combined. Taste for additional salt or pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a floured surface in the shape of the baking dish with about a 1/2 inch overlap.
- Use egg wash to paint the edges of the baking dish. Lay pastry over the baking dish and press down on the edges to seal to the dish. Brush the dough with egg wash and cut 3 slits in top of pie to allow steam to escape. Place the dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or foil and bake for 1 hour, until the top is brown and the filling is bubbling hot.
- Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes.
- Enjoy!