Seafood Pie
Seafood Pie is a version of savory pie made with mixed seafood, vegetables, and a creamy sauce, in this case with cottage cheese to reduce fat.
My family spends time on the East Coast of Canada most summers. Nova Scotia, to be exact, as my parents spend half the year there. While their cottage is at least 25 minutes from any major grocery store, we often try to make a trek to Masstown Market, over an hour away.
This market sells local fruits and vegetables, freshly-baked breads and other baked goods, locally made meats and cheeses, and fresh seafood. But the major draw for us is their Seafood Pie, which they sell fresh and frozen, with or without lobster.
I've always enjoyed savory pies more than sweet ones, and while Mr. Dreamboat doesn't usually like savory pies, he makes the exception for this one. Like most pot pies, it's comfort food at its max, with seafood and vegetables in a creamy sauce between two pie crusts. And since I can't get it in Alberta, I learned how to make it myself.
How to Make Seafood Pie
Start by prepping the pie crusts. If you're making them yourself, make sure they're ready to go before prepping the filling. If you bought them, make sure to read the instructions - the ones I use recommend bringing them to room temperature before rolling them out.
Next, get the potatoes ready. I find it easier to peel them before boiling, then cutting them into large chunks and boiling in saltwater until easily pierced with a paring knife. This doesn't take long - maybe 5-7 minutes. Drain the potatoes, let them cool slightly, and cut into ½" pieces.
Add the potatoes to a large bowl with the corn, shallot, red bell pepper, shredded cheese, and mixed seafood. Sprinkle with some cornstarch, and toss everything together.
Now it's time to make the creamy sauce, which I make from a base of blended cottage cheese. This allows it to be creamy and tangy, but without the extra fat and calories that come with cream cheese.
Add the cottage cheese, cream, lemon juice, parsley, savory, pepper, and salt to an immersion blender vessel or a small food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour this mixture over the vegetable/seafood mixture and stir.
Roll out one of the pie crusts and place it into your pie plate. Spread the filling mixture over the bottom pie crust. Roll out the second pie crust and place it over the filling. Crimp the two crusts together. Brush the top pie crust with an egg wash then cut some vents with a paring knife.
Place the pie plate onto a baking sheet to prevent leaks, and bake until the top crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 40-50 minutes. Allow the pie to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Seafood Pie Ingredients
- Pie crusts - you will need two pie crusts (a top and a bottom one). Feel free to use store-bought, but if you do, I recommend the kind that you roll out yourself vs the ones that already come rolled into a pan. If you like making your own, you can do that too.
- Yukon gold or russet potatoes - I find it easier to peel potatoes before boiling them, but you can also keep the peels on for boiling to increase the potassium in the potatoes. You can keep the potatoes in larger chunks and peel after cooking if desired.
- Kosher salt - Most of the salt is for boiling the potatoes, and most of this will get discarded. I would estimate that about half of the salt the recipe calls for actually makes it into your mouth.
- Frozen corn - Alternatively, you could also use fresh corn or canned corn (just make sure to drain it well).
- Shallot
- Red bell pepper - Or you could use any other color of bell pepper.
- Shredded cheddar cheese - I recommend using a box grater to shred your own, vs using pre-shredded cheese, which doesn't tend to melt as well.
- Frozen mixed seafood - You might see this called "chowder mix" at the store. If a mix isn't available, use any combination of bay scallops, small shrimp, cod, and/or haddock. Thaw and cut into bite-sized pieces, if needed.
- Cornstarch - adding a bit of cornstarch helps to thicken the filling.
- Cottage cheese - I used cottage cheese instead of cream cheese in the filling. Blending it ensures that you don't get any lumps, and the consistency and flavor end up being similar to cream cheese, with much less fat and calories, and more protein.
- Cream - I used whipping cream, but coffee cream (18%) or half-and-half (10%) would be fine too.
- Lemon juice - Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is always best, but bottled will work here, too.
- Fresh parsley - Alternatively, you can use dried parsley if needed. Reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon.
- Dried savory - Savory comes in two varieties: summer savory and winter savory. I can't be sure which I used, since the label just said "savory". Summer savory is more common on the East Coast, where this recipe originates, and is the milder version of the herb.
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Egg - Any size will do, as you are just using it to make an egg wash. You will have most of the egg left over, so feel free to use it to make scrambled eggs or in baking.
- Milk - Any type will do. You are just using a small amount to make an egg wash.
Want more seafood recipes?
Seafood Pie Nutrition Notes
Most of the salt in the recipe will get discarded with the potato water. The nutrition information in the recipe below estimates that about half of the salt in the recipe remains in the recipe.
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for a slice of pie that is ⅙th of the recipe. If your slice is larger (or smaller) than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
Serve your seafood pie with a green salad or other vegetable side dish to make a complete meal.
Seafood Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- If using store-bought pie crusts, check the label for instructions, as they often need to come to room temperature before rolling out.
- Bring some water to a boil in a small pot. Add the quartered potatoes and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Boil for 5-7 minutes, until a paring knife can easily be inserted into the potatoes. Drain the potatoes and cool slightly.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into ½" (1 cm) pieces.
- Add the cut potatoes to a large bowl with 1 cup frozen corn, the diced bell pepper, the minced shallot, ½ cup packed shredded cheddar cheese, and the thawed seafood. Set aside. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and toss again to distribute the cornstarch.
- In a large measuring cup, or immersion blender vessel, blend together ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 Tablespoon cream, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon dried savory, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt until combined, and the cottage cheese is smooth. Alternatively, you could use a small food processor.
- Pour the cottage cheese mixture over the vegetable and seafood mixture and stir to combine.
- Roll out one of the pie crusts into a 9" deep dish pie pan or a 9" round cake pan. Spread the seafood filling into the pie crust. Roll out the second pie crust and place it over the top of the filling. Crimp the two crusts together (using a fork is the simplest).
- Use a fork to whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon milk. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with some of the mixture, being sure not to put it on so heavily that there are pools of egg. (You will have egg wash leftover - you could save it for baking or scrambled eggs, if desired). Use a paring knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the pie onto a baking sheet to catch any leaks if they occur, and bake the pie for 40-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. (Note that if you use a glass pie pan, you may need to extend the cooking time). Allow the pie to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition
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