Description
There are few meals more cozy & comforting than classic pot pie, but Seafood Pot Pie takes it to the next level! This rich & creamy pot pie is filled with loads of seafood, a seriously creamy chowder-inspired pot pie sauce, & topped with flaky, golden brown pastry. Pot pie perfection! 😍
What you’ll love about this recipe is how well the seafood flavors come through, which really comes down to 2 things:
- Using lots of seafood. I love a hearty combination of shrimp, sea scallops, & lobster meat, but this recipe is pretty flexible & you can use whatever hearty fish or seafood looks best! Feel free to swap lobster for crab, shrimp for langoustines, or scallops for firm white fish – you really can’t go wrong. If you don’t live somewhere with abundant fresh options, frozen seafood works beautifully (that’s exactly what I use here in Minnesota!) – be sure to check the Recipe Notes, below, for more guidance.
- Building a chowder-inspired pot pie sauce. This creamy sauce brings the entire dish together. Inspired by the killer seafood chowder my mom makes, it’s filled with hearty veggies & packs a big punch of seafood flavor thanks to smart flavor-boosting ingredients like clam juice & lobster base – we’ve linked our favorite products below for you.
Despite being a really impressive, restaurant-worthy dish, this seafood pot pie recipe is a simple dish you can easily prepare any night of the week. It’s perfect for sharing with the people you love most, especially on a chilly winter night. ♡
Ingredients
Scale
- 10 ounces jumbo sea scallops (U/20-30), thawed if frozen (see Recipe Notes)
- 12 ounces medium shrimp (U/41-50), peeled & deveined, & thawed if frozen (see Recipe Notes)
- 8 ounces lobster meat, raw or precooked & thawed if frozen (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 sheet puff pastry (about 14 ounces), homemade or thawed from frozen (see Recipe Notes)
- egg wash (1 large egg, whisked with 1 tablespoon water)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 small Russet potato, peeled & diced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- scant ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry, unoaked white wine
- ¼ cup clam juice (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 ¾ cups half & half
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lobster base (see Recipe Notes)
- ½ cup frozen peas
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment & set aside. Lightly spray a 2.5-quart baking dish (e.g. 9x9x2-inches or 11x7x2-inches) with nonstick cooking spray & set aside. If using frozen seafood, thaw (see Recipe Notes) & use paper towel to pat as dry as possible. Set aside. Gather & prep remaining ingredients (e.g. dice veggies, measure liquid ingredients, etc.) & set within an arm’s reach of the stovetop.
- Par-bake the puff pastry: Unfold the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the puff pastry out such that it will fit overtop your baking dish. Transfer to the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut 4-6 slits down the middle of the puff pastry, then brush the entire surface with egg wash. Transfer to the oven & bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned & puffy. Remove from the oven & set aside for seafood pot pie assembly. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
- Soften the veggies: Meanwhile, as the puff pastry par-bakes, prep the seafood pot pie filling. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the carrots, celery, onion, & potato. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the veggies are softened and slightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Build the seafood pot pie sauce: Sprinkle the flour over the softened veggies and stir to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until deeply browned. While scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, slowly pour in the wine. It will bubble vigorously, almost cooking all the way down very quickly. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that may have formed at the bottom of the skillet – that’s where the flavor is! While stirring constantly, slowly pour in the clam juice & half & half. Mix in the lobster base & season with ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Taste & season with additional kosher salt or ground black pepper as desired, then remove from the heat.
- Seafood pot pie assembly: Layer the scallops, shrimp, lobster, & peas in the prepared baking dish. Pour in the seafood pot pie sauce & gently transfer the par-baked puff pastry over top. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="34290,34292"]
- Bake the seafood pot pie: Place the assembled pot pie on a baking sheet & transfer to the 375 degree F oven. Bake 20 minutes, until the filling is bubbling & the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven & rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve the seafood pot pie: Portion the seafood pot pie into individual bowls, being sure to top each with plenty of golden brown pastry. Finish with a sprinkling of fresh parsley as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Seafood: The beauty of seafood pot pie is that it’s pretty versatile! While we like the combination of scallops, shrimp, & lobster meat, you can use whatever seafood you like most – provided it’s hearty enough to hold up to a 20-minute bake. Swap lobster for lump crab meat, swap scallops with 1-inch pieces of hearty white fish, etc. – have fun with it & use whatever looks best to you at the grocery store or fish market, aiming for about 2 lb seafood total. If you don’t live on the coasts, consider using frozen seafood, which is often fresher than what’s available at the seafood counter of a conventional grocery store. For this seafood pot pie, I use all frozen seafood (specifically, Luke’s Maine Lobster Meat is great, highly accessible frozen lobster!) – see below for thawing guidance.
- Thawing frozen seafood: The fastest & safest way to thaw frozen seafood is to place it in a zip-top bag & submerge in cool water. The steady, cool temperature of the water creates a really controlled environment for the frozen seafood to come up to room temperature. This is better from a food safety standpoint, since it limits bacterial growth. Refresh the water every 10 minutes or so, until the seafood is completely thawed – 25-30 minutes, tops!
- Clam juice & lobster base: Aside from the seafood, the clam juice & lobster base are what give this pot pie its rich seafood flavor. Check your local fish market or purchase online (the brands we use are linked above). If you prefer to just use 1 instead of both, replace the clam juice with an equal amount of chicken stock/water & increase lobster base by 1 teaspoon.
- Puff pastry: While you can certainly make your own homemade puff pastry (this is a great recipe), this is an instance when store-bought options are just as good. Puff pastry is usually sold in the ‘dessert’ freezer section of the grocery store, next to bread dough & pie crusts. I really like the frozen puff pastry from Trader Joe’s. It’s really affordable, & 1 box contains 2 sheets. You will need 1 sheet for this seafood pot pie recipe.
- Storage, Reheating, & Freezing:
- Seafood Pot Pie Storage & Reheating: Leftover seafood pot pie will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
- Seafood Pot Pie Freezer Instructions: You can also freeze leftover seafood pot pie for an easy dinner down the road. Simply transfer leftover pot pie into a freezer container – I love using these freezer containers to freeze individual portions. Freeze up to 3 months.
- 15-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this seafood pot pie comes from prepping the veggies. Take care of this in advance – it takes 15 minutes, tops – & you can jump straight in to cooking during the week. Here’s what you’ll do:
- Dice 1 medium carrot, 1 stalk of celery, & ½ medium yellow onion. Transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (10 minutes active)
- Peel & dice 1 small Russet potato. Transfer to an airtight container, submerging the potato in water to prevent browning. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, refreshing the water every day. (<5 minutes active)