This Seafood Pot Pie is filled with a smoky seafood chowder, and topped with golden, flaky puff pastry.
This recipe is sponsored by Wewalka.
My husband loves pot pies.
Pre-made versions of these flaky, buttery pastry-crowned stews appear mysteriously in my freezer without warning– stocked on a whim by the hungry hubs.
And so, as the winter winds began to whip through the nearby trees, and the sky turned grey (and stayed that way)– it was time to conquer the savory pot pie myself. And of course– I made a seafood version!
This seafood pot pie is rich and filling. It’s a comfort food that’s perfect for chilly winter days, huddling inside with a blanket, and hiding from the snow.
Seafood Pot Pies: Puff Pastry vs Pie Crust
Most of the pot pies that I’ve eaten over the years have been made with pie crust, not puff pastry, and have both a top and bottom crust.
But I have a fluffier solution for your pot pie needs and wants. A flakier, more delicate solution. The answer is puff pastry.
This pot pie is made with a puff pastry lid– and no bottom crust. (The bottom crust is always soggy anyway, right?)
For this seafood pot pie, I wanted the most golden, the most fluffy puff pastry. (I’m picky. And that’s a good thing.)
For these seafood pot pies, I used my favorite puff pastry– Wewalka’s European-style FRESH (not frozen) puff pastry. This decadent pastry dough has 64 buttery, flaky layers, and comes wrapped in an oven-safe parchment paper.
We won’t use the parchment paper in the oven for this recipe– but it makes a perfect work surface for laying out and cutting the dough!
How Do I Make a Puff Pastry Pot Pie Lid?
Making a puff pastry lid for your seafood pot pie is EASY.
Simply roll out the pastry dough, and place an oven-proof bowl upside down on the dough. Next, press the bowl into the dough to make an indentation, and cut then around it.
I usually cut out a large piece of dough around the bowl, and then trim it with a paring knife.
Finally, you’ll scoop the already-cooked seafood pot pie filling into the bowl, push the dough down along the edges of the bowl, and bake until the puff pastry is golden and flaky.
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- Place bowl on the pastry + make an indention
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- Cut the pastry along the indentation mark
Can I Make One Large Seafood Pot Pie Instead of Small Pies?
Of course you can.
Use a casserole dish or deep-dish pie pan instead of the oven-safe bowls to make one large pie instead of individual servings of pie. The cook-time should remain the same.
What if I don’t have oven-safe bowls?
Check the recipe card for tips on how to cook the pastry without putting the bowls in the oven. Or, use the technique listed above, and serve one larger pie in a casserole dish or pie pan.
Ladle soup into bowls + top with pastry
What Kind of Filling Goes in the Seafood Pot Pie?
When I think of pot pies– any kind of pot pies– I always picture a rich, creamy filling.
And when I think of rich and creamy seafood– my mind immediately goes to clam chowder. Decadent, warming clam chowder.
Except I didn’t want regular clam chowder– I wanted a SMOKY seafood chowder. The filling for this pie is made with clams and smoked fish.
Where Can I Find Smoked Fish?
Check the canned fish aisle. I love this chowder with smoked herring (or kipper snacks), but it’s also delicious with smoked oysters and smoked trout.
If you prefer, you can also find smoked trout in the refrigerated seafood section.
If you want to use salmon, you can– but make sure that it’s hot-smoked salmon (it’ll look plump, like a cooked fillet), and not lox. Not sure what the difference is between hot-smoked salmon and lox? Read this.
Enjoy this seafood pot pie while it’s piping hot, and then use any leftover puff pastry to make some Salmon Wellington!
Want more SOUP recipes? Try these:
Seafood Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups seafood stock (OR 1 cup clam juice + 3 cups vegetable broth)
- 8 baby Yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 2 tins clams, chopped (~6 oz each), drained
- 4 oz smoked fish (such as herring, trout, or oysters) Or substitute 1 more can of clams
- 1/2 sheet puff pastry (use more or less depending on the size of serving bowls) Wewalka puff pastry recommended
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Heat oil in a large soup pan over medium heat. Add the celery, and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the celery from the pan, and set aside.
- Add onion, Old Bay, and salt, and cook for about 5 minutes until onions soften.
- Add stock and potatoes, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to medium, and simmer 10 minutes.
- Ladle out about one cup of potatoes, along with another cup of broth. Add to a blender, and blend until creamy. Return to pot.
- Add celery back to the pot. Add the clams and herring to the pot, and turn heat to low.
- Roll puff pastry dough out onto the included parchment paper.Note: If using puff pastry that has been previously frozen, roll it out to 1/4" on a lightly floured surface.
- Place your serving bowls rim-side down onto the pastry, and press down to make an indention. Use a knife to cut the pastry along the indentation lines.
- If using oven-safe bowls:Fill the bowls with the hot seafood chowder. (Note: Soup must be piping hot when added to the bowls, or the steam created when reheating could make the pastry mushy.) Use your fingers to pull the pastry, to make it a little larger than the bowls. Press the pastry onto the edge of the bowls with your fingertips.Set the bowls on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.Allow pot pie to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.If bowls are not oven-safe:
Keep chowder warm on the oven. Line a baking sheet with the parchment paper used during pastry preparation. Bake puff pastry for 20 minutes, or until golden. Add chowder to soup bowls, and top with baked pastry. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Change up the potatoes: Use 3 baking potatoes instead
- Swap the kippers: Use smoked oysters or smoked trout instead
Hubby and I love pot pies too! I actually make a chicken pot pie, but have never made a seafood version. Love using puff pastry because it’s just so convenient. This one looks super comforting and I bet tastes even better! 😉
Friends of mine have a party every winter and often serve a seafood soup that I look forward to all year long. I’ve never made one at home and now am motivated to do so with your addition of the puff pastry top. It elevates this from a soup to a meal ready for a special occasion!