Seafood Pot Pie

February 12, 2019 by Nicole Collins

I’ve got one of those serious questions for you guys today that I like to ask you every so often.

Here it goes…

Crust or no crust?

I’m not necessarily asking about any specific type of crust. Because, unfortunately, I feel like the crust haters of the world are not a discriminating bunch. They seem to hate all crusts. And it’s a darn shame, if you ask me.

That’s right…I’M ON TEAM CRUST!

In most instances, I prefer the crust over what is being encrusted. Bread crust, pizza crust, pie crust…there’s not one part of me that would be mad if I picked up an apple pie from the store and they forgot the apple filling. I mean, I know I’ve told you about the deal I try to make with my mom every time she gets a pie.

Just saying…

Do you guys remember those frozen chicken pot pies that Pepperidge Farms used to make? You’d put them in the microwave for 7 or 8 mins, and you’d have a perfectly cooked, incredibly amazing, artery clogging dinner for one. I remember seeing a list a few years ago of the worst foods you could possibly eat, and those pot pies were are the top of the list clocking in at over 1,000 calories for one serving.

OMG they were so good. Anyone surprised they don’t sell them anymore, though?

I’m telling you this, because those pot pies were ALL crust! The top crust was nice and thick, and the filling was stuffed in a deep dish crust all around. Talk about heaven for a girl that lives for crust. And, the design of the packaging allowed that crust to get perfectly crisp even though it was a microwavable dinner.

MMMMmmmmMMMMmmmmMMMMmmmm…

As a much more responsible eater, I’ve learned that though I could happily live on just crusts forever, they’re too carby and fatty for that dream to ever come true. So, I have to make grown up decisions like only using a top crust when making pot pies instead of wrapping the filling up in a full ramekin of pastry.

So, that’s what we’re doing today. We’re being good girls and boys by portion controlling our crust intake. But, we’re not skimping on satisfying flavor one little bit.

Today, we’re making Seafood Pot Pie!

You guys know I live in a coastal state, so seafood pretty much keeps me alive. I am certainly blessed to be able to find fresh and delicious seafood year round. And, I could not be more excited that every day we get closer and closer to summer seafood season!

We start by sautéing some onions and celery in some butter until they’re softened, add a little flour to make a roux, then add some seafood stock to help start to make our creamy filling. The seafood stock is a really important ingredient in this recipe, because it really accentuates the flavors of the seafood we’re using in our pot pie. The richness of the stock combined with a little white wine and a lot of Old Bay for seasoning provides the perfect base before we add a touch of heavy cream to smooth everything out.

For the seafood, we’re using shrimp and crab in today’s pot pie. Roast the shrimp with a little salt and pepper first to give it some extra flavor. And, the lump crabmeat can get tossed in at the end straight from the container. You can’t have pot pie without veggies to help bring some freshness to a heavy meal, so we’re adding some corn and green beans to the mix along with the onions and celery from earlier.

Now, let’s talk about what is really important in this recipe…the crust! I’m cheating and using a store bought pie crust, but you could certainly use your favorite pie crust recipe if you have one. I’m serving these in individual ramekins so that we’re paying attention to portion control. So, we need to cut the pie crust to a half inch bigger than the mouth of our ramekin. Then, we’ll use a little brush of egg wash to secure the crust to our serving dish, give the crust a brush of egg wash on top to help it get nice and golden brown, then cut little slits in the top so our delicious pot pie doesn’t explode in the oven.

The end product is absolutely delectable! The filling is rich, hearty, and a little spicy. The crust is perfect for dipping in the saucy filling to make one perfect bite. Believe it or not, I don’t even miss the bottom crust! And, that’s saying something. This Seafood Pot Pie is just that good!

And, if you’re still looking for an extra special meal to share with your loved ones this Valentine’s Day, this pot pie should totally go on your menu! It’s elegant and comforting all at the same time, and it’s really not labor intensive at all!

For you crust haters out there, I’m going to bet this pot pie is going to make a believer out of you. You just wait and see!

In case you didn't know...I love you guys even more than I love crust! So, let’s eat!

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Seafood Pot Pie

Serves: 4 Print

Ingredients:

• ½ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (thawed if frozen)

• ¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste

• 1/8 tsp pepper, plus more to taste

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 1/3 cup flour

• 3 cups seafood stock

• 1 tbsp white wine

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

• ¼ cup heavy cream

• 8 oz lump crab meat, picked through for shells

• 1 cup frozen green beans

• 1 cup frozen corn

• 1 box (2 crusts) refrigerated pie crust

• 1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water, well beaten

• olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Roast the shrimp: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Spray with olive oil cooking spray. Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel, and place on the sheet pan. Spritz with olive oil cooking spray, and toss shrimp, ¼ tsp salt and 1/8 pepper together on the sheet pan. Spread shrimp in an even layer. Roast for 10-12 minutes until fully cooked and shrimp are opaque. When shrimp are cool enough to handle, chop into bite sized pieces.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and saute until veggies start to soften, about 5 mins. Add flour, stir to coat the veggies, and cook for 1 min. Add seafood stock, white wine, Old Bay, and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and allow to simmer for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Add heavy cream, and simmer 1 more minute. Add frozen veggies, crab, and chopped shrimp. Stir to combine, and cook 1-2 more minutes. Taste for seasoning, and set aside.

3. Increase the heat on the oven to 450 degrees. Bring pie crust to temperature according to package directions. Unroll, and use a 10-12oz ramekin to trace 2 circles in each crust, each roughly ½ inch bigger than the diameter of the ramekin. Fill ramekins with pot pie filling.

4. Brush the outside rim of each ramekin with egg wash. Place the pie crust circle over the top of the ramekin, and press around the outsides to adhere the crust to the ramekin. Brush the top of the pie crust with egg wash. Cut two slits in the center of the crust. Bake for 15-20 mins until the crust is golden brown. If the edges of the crust start to darken too quickly before the center, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the ramekins, and continue baking. Enjoy immediately.

Recipe notes:

*These are best served straight from the oven, but they also reheat really well, too. You can even reheat them in the microwave, and the crust stays nice and crisp.

*You can use any combo of seafood you like. If you wanted to add lobster or scallops to this pot pie, they'd also be great!

*Seafood stock can be found in the same section as chicken or beef stock. I wouldn't recommend substituting the seafood stock for another stock, because we need the coastal richness from the seafood stock in our pot pie.

*You can omit the white wine if you'd like. You could also substitute it with a squeeze of lemon juice.

*I chose to cheat by using refrigerated pie crust, but you could certainly use you favorite pie crust recipe if you have one.

*Instead of making single serve pot pies, you could also fill a pie plate with the filling and use 1 unrolled pie crust to cover the the top.