Colonial Seafood Pie Recipes

FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES PIE

Steps:

• Butter a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish or casserole. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then stir in leeks and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until soft, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and anchovies and cook 1 minute, until the anchovies dissolve. Add wine and bring to a boil, then let simmer until the wine evaporates almost completely. Remove from heat and scrape into a heatproof bowl.
• In the same skillet, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until pale golden, 1 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and clam juice, and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Simmer for 1 to 3 minutes until very thick (it will thin out as it bakes), then remove from heat.
• Pat the fish cubes, shrimp and scallops dry. Stir them into the sauce along with the sautéed leeks, peas, tarragon, parsley, capers and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Spoon mixture into prepared dish.
• Chill uncovered, for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
• Before baking, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together egg with 1 teaspoon water. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry dough. Roll it 1/8-inch thick. Use a fish cutter or paring knife to cut out a fish from the center of dough. (Alternatively, you can cut circles from the dough and overlap them on top of the pie to look like fish scales).
• Place pastry on top of pie and trim edges, but don't seal them (sealing impinges on the puffing). Brush egg wash all over pastry.
• Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. If you like, spoon the sour cream into a shallow dish, top it with the trout roe and serve it on the side for guests to add to the pie. Or spoon the caviar into the fish cutout on top of the pie and serve sour cream on the side.

TRADITIONAL BRITISH FISH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool.
• Combine milk, bay leaf, and nutmeg in a large pan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Add cod and poach until flaky, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cod onto a plate; reserve poaching liquid. Use a fork to flake fish into bite-sized pieces.
• Mash potatoes in a large bowl. Mix in 3 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons poaching liquid until potatoes are fairly stiff and not too runny.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat and stir in leek. Cook and stir until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter over medium heat in a large, deep skillet until it just stops bubbling. Add flour and stir roux continuously for 1 minute. Slowly pour in remaining poaching liquid, stirring continuously, to make base of sauce. Add 1/2 the sharp Cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Fold in flaked cod, leek, and peas. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place fish mixture in an oven-proof dish; press boiled eggs gently into the filling across the surface. Cover with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is starting to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

SEAFOOD POTPIE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fennel and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add the shrimp and scallops and cook for 2 minutes, just until firm. Remove the seafood to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving the stock.
• When the flour is cooked in the onion and fennel mixture, slowly add the stock, the Pernod, salt, and pepper and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream.
• Cut the lobster meat into medium-size cubes and add it to the onion and fennel mixture with the shrimp and scallops. Add the frozen peas, frozen onions, and parsley and pour the mixture into a 9 by 13 by 2 baking dish.
• For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough on a floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Roll the dough out to fit the baking dish with about 1/4-inch overlap. Use the egg wash to paint the outside rim of the dish. Place the dough on the filled baking dish and press it lightly to adhere to egg wash. Brush the dough with egg wash. Make 3 slashes in the top to allow the steam to escape. Place the dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

COLONIAL SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F 10 minutes before the pie is ready to go inches.
• Dissolve the chicken bouillon in 2 cups hot water and bring to a boil.
• Cook the scallops, oysters and fish in the chicken stock for 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork.
• Remove seafood and strain the stock.
• Reserve the stock.
• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions and celery.
• Stir in the flour; add the stock and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Add the scallops, oysters, fish, lobster and sherry.
• Season with salt and pepper; cool.
• Line a 1-quart casserole, deep-dish pie plate, or four individual 5-inch casseroles with the pastry.
• Pour in the seafood mix and top with pastry.
• Cut vents int eh top so that the steam can escape.
• Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

IMPOSSIBLY EASY SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Grease pie plate, 9x1 1/4 inches. Mix crabmeat, cheeses, onions and pimientos in pie plate.
• Stir remaining ingredients in bowl with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.
• Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean (some cream cheese may stick to knife). Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Combine the flour, cornmeal and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Cut 6 tablespoons of the butter in 1/2-inch bits, scatter them over the flour mixture, and pulse until the mixture is uniformly crumbly. Sprinkle the water over this mixture, and pulse again, about 25 to 30 times, until a ball of dough forms. Shape it into a flat disk, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours.
• Place the wine in a saucepan, bring to a boil and add the mussels. Cover and steam 5 to 8 minutes, until they open. Remove the mussels from the pan, reserving the liquid. Shuck the mussels into a bowl. Mix with the monkfish, and refrigerate.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, add the parsnips and blanch for 4 minutes. Drain.
• Heat the remaining butter in a heavy skillet. Add the onion, carrots and celery, and cook over medium heat until nicely browned, about 20 minutes. Add the reserved liquid from the mussels, the parsnips and apricots. Place 1/2 cup of this mixture in a food processor, and puree it; then, return it to the skillet. Stir in the mussels and fish, and season with salt and pepper.
• Divide this mixture among 4 small souffle dishes, each about 12 ounces, or place the mixture in a 6-cup souffle dish or baking dish.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Roll out the dough, and cut 5-inch circles if using individual dishes, or roll it to cover a single baking dish. Moisten the edges and place it over the fish, pressing the moistened edges down on the edge of the dish to seal. Cut a couple of slits in the top, brush with the milk and bake about 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

IMPOSSIBLY EASY SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F; grease pie plate, 9x1 1/4 inches.
• Mix seafood, cheeses, onions and pimientos in pie plate.
• Stir remaining ingredients in bowl with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.
• Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean (some cream cheese may stick to knife). Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.