Last November, my husband and I arrived by boat at Sydney Harbor, Australia. A mere 36 days before, we embarked on a cruise with three other couples that went from Seattle to Sydney, with stops in several tropical ports of call. Along the way, we spent idyllic days in Hawaii, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, as well as many beautiful and restful days at sea. We crossed the International Dateline and the equator and traveled over 7600 miles. Whew, what a trip!

Sounds like a great vacation, Diane, but what does this have to do with seafood pot pie, you ask? Well, as we cruised into Sydney Harbor, my husband and I were eating lunch poolside. The daily special seafood bar included a seafood pot pie. As we cruised past the iconic Sydney Opera House and the Coat Hanger bridge, I was a little star struck. At the same time, I was savoring the most heavenly pot pie I had ever eaten in my entire life. It was truly a memory that will stay with me forever.

Determined to try to recreate a version of this scrumptious dish when we returned home, I finally got around to it today. Over the years, I have made delicious chicken pot pies, including a lattice-top version which turned out great. I also make a very good Cottage Pie or Shepherd’s Pie, for which the recipe is linked here: What’s Cooking Wednesday ~ Shepherd’s Pie. But seafood pie was something new and exciting for me to add to my pot pie repertoire. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed how-to instructions.

To begin, sauté the uncooked seafood items in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of butter. The shrimp I used were already cooked, so I only sautéed the scallops. As these were large scallops, they were cut into smaller pieces before cooking. Smaller bay scallops would work well in this recipe, as well. Removed cooked seafood and set aside. Do not discard the broth, as it adds great flavor to the dish.

Next, sauté the carrots, onions, diced celery, and potatoes in more butter and olive oil. I had a large Yukon Gold potato left dinner last night, so I diced it to save cooking time and use up leftovers. Once the veggies are softened, toss with a few tablespoons of flour and mix to coat, cooking for a minute. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and stir as the mixture thickens. After the mixture is thickened, add approximately 1/2 cup of half and half or milk, until desired consistency. Add 1 tablespoon of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, 1/8 teaspoon of both paprika and turmeric, and 1/3 cup of frozen peas. Mix together and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

At the end, add 3/4 cup of cooked shrimp and 3/4 cup of scallops. Warm the entire mixture through, but do not cook more than a few minutes, as overcooked seafood will turn rubbery. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool slightly. Note: You can add any fish you like to this recipe. Salmon, clams or whitefish like Cod would all be nice additions.

For many of my pot pie recipes, I create them in a pie plate, either with a crust on the top and bottom for chicken pot pie, or no crust on the bottom and topped with mashed potatoes for Shepherd’s pie. For this seafood pot pie recipe, I made individual servings in large ramekins, to emulate those served on the cruise ship.

For the crust, I turned to my old friend puff pastry, which is almost foolproof and makes you look like a much better cook than you are. I use Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, which is found in the frozen foods aisle near the pie crusts. For this recipe of four servings, I used one sheet of puff pastry, cut into fourths. Thaw the pastry in the refrigerator prior to using, gently roll out the crust a bit, and cut into four equal pieces.

Place four ramekins on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Spoon one fourth of the seafood mixture into each of the ramekins. Top each dish with a square of puff pastry, folding it over the sides. Whisk one egg and brush the egg mixture lightly over the entire puff pastry crust, which will make it glossy and beautiful. Make a slit in the top of the pastry and sprinkle with course sea salt if desired. Bake at 375 for 24-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

NOTE: You may notice that I only ended up with three ramekins, not four. Once the mixture was spooned into the bowls, they weren’t full enough for four generous servings. So, I spooned the smaller bowl into the other three, making them just right for three hungry people. Because I don’t like to waste food, with the remaining piece of puff pastry, I spread a mixture of honey and cream cheese on the pastry, leaving a small border around the edge. I topped the cream cheese with a four-berry jam and some sliced almonds, added egg wash around the exposed edges, and baked at 375 for 10 minutes. After it was cooled, I dusted it with powdered sugar and cut it into three pieces. Sadly, I didn’t take a picture before we ate it, but that spur of the moment Danish pastry was so good!!!

Here is the recipe if you want to make this seafood pot pie yourself.

Not only are these seafood puff pastries real “company worthy lookers,” but they also taste absolutely divine! I don’t believe we will ever get to Australia again, but whenever we have this recipe, we can be immediately transported to that magical day sailing into Sydney Harbor. I hope that you will enjoy this seafood pot pie, as well.

Good tidings,

Diane