The Chopping Tip For The Best Texture In Fish Pie

Pot pies made with seafood offer a fresh alternative to more traditional chicken pot pie recipes. A flavorful, savory filling of vegetables and seafood is enveloped by a buttery crust that gently gives way when pierced with a fork or knife. Whether packed with crab meat, shrimp, scallops, or fish, these creamy morsels make for a satisfying meal. As tempting as it might be to cut culinary corners and purchase frozen pies from the store, the opportunity to put the flavors of your meal in your own hands and take a perfectly golden pot pie out of the oven can be a deeply rewarding endeavor. Yet even a dish this sure to delight can be a difficult one to master. 

In advance of our next cooking attempt, we spoke to Roberta Muir of Be Inspired for tips on how to make future recipes a crowd-pleasing success. With over two decades in the food and wine industry, Muir knows what is sure to be a home run at the dinner table. "For the best texture, don't chop things too finely, especially the seafood," she cautions. "You want good chunks of fish or other seafood visible in the pie." While recipes made with meat can be a bit more forgiving in the texture department since meaty chunks can offer denser bites when more finely prepared, delicate pieces of seafood and fish can get lost in the assembly of gravy and vegetables.

A big part of the delight of any pot pie dish is the contrast between the pie's flaky crust and the toothy mixture of creamy ingredients. To keep the pie's filling leaning away from either a stew or soup and closer to the ideal form of gravy-covered vegetables and seafood, you'll need to master both the ratio of food items included in your recipe and pay close attention to the preparation of each piece. When attempting our luxurious mini seafood pot pies recipe, for example, slice scallops in half or cube salmon to include in your dish. Depending on the size of shrimp or clams you use to make your recipe, you can cook the entire pieces to include in the filling. 

Whether you use fresh vegetables or frozen items, aim to prepare all of the ingredients in even, sizable chunks. Remember that a pot pie's filling is thicker than a creamy New England clam chowder recipe, so make adjustments accordingly as you work to get dinner on the table.