Feast of the Seven Fishes Pie
- Total Time
- 50 minutes, plus at least 1 hour chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and thinly sliced (4 cups)
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 1garlic clove, minced
- 2anchovies, minced
- ½cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
- ¼cup all-purpose flour, more for rolling out pastry
- ¾cup chicken stock
- ½cup clam juice
- 1pound mixed mild fish fillets, cut into 1¼-inch thick cubes (such as cod and pollock)
- ½pound large shelled shrimp (16 to 20 count)
- ½pound large sea scallops, side muscle removed
- 1cup frozen peas
- 1tablespoon chopped tarragon
- 1tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2tablespoons drained capers, chopped
- 1large egg
- 1pound puff pastry, thawed
- 1cup sour cream, for serving (optional)
- 1ounce salmon or trout roe or other caviar (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
630 calories; 39 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 817 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Butter a shallow 1½-quart baking dish or casserole. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then stir in leeks and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until soft, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and anchovies and cook 1 minute, until the anchovies dissolve. Add wine and bring to a boil, then let simmer until the wine evaporates almost completely. Remove from heat and scrape into a heatproof bowl.
- Step 2
In the same skillet, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until pale golden, 1 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and clam juice, and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Simmer for 1 to 3 minutes until very thick (it will thin out as it bakes), then remove from heat.
- Step 3
Pat the fish cubes, shrimp and scallops dry. Stir them into the sauce along with the sautéed leeks, peas, tarragon, parsley, capers and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Spoon mixture into prepared dish.
- Step 4
Chill uncovered, for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
- Step 5
Before baking, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together egg with 1 teaspoon water. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry dough. Roll it ⅛-inch thick. Use a fish cutter or paring knife to cut out a fish from the center of dough. (Alternatively, you can cut circles from the dough and overlap them on top of the pie to look like fish scales).
- Step 6
Place pastry on top of pie and trim edges, but don’t seal them (sealing impinges on the puffing). Brush egg wash all over pastry.
- Step 7
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. If you like, spoon the sour cream into a shallow dish, top it with the trout roe and serve it on the side for guests to add to the pie. Or spoon the caviar into the fish cutout on top of the pie and serve sour cream on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
What happens to the shrimp, after cooking so long? Would it be OK to put raw shrimp into the mix just before baking?
My instinct for this would be to completely chill the base sauce, THEN stir in the seafood so that it doesn't cook in the least until it goes in the oven. 30-40 minutes is a long time to cook delicate fish such as scallops and shrimp. I think your hope is that it all comes just to temp 5-10 minutes before it comes out of the oven, which should cook the fish just about right.
Roux sauce optional substitutions/additions: a) 1 tsp of cognac for richness, b) 2 pinches of crushed red pepper for a hint of heat, c) substitute 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in stock for the the salt, d) add 1/8 of cup of heavy cream mixed into roux sauce just before adding seafood (this is a substitute for the sour cream garnish), e) add steamed fennel slices from 1 bulb for great depth of flavor and added texture, and f) serve with fresh lemon slices and fresh black pepper.
This was enjoyed by everyone for our Christmas dinner. I pretty much followed recipe instructions for a change, except for the step of chilling before baking. I just stuck it in oven once it was prepped. Subbed a generous handful of chopped fresh dill in place of the parsley and used a combination of salmon, halibut, shrimp and scallops. All the seafood was just slightly frozen, so that might have helped avoid it being overcooked. Overall, this was pretty easy to pull together.
Wonderful. Perfect. EZ. Just follow the recipe. Everyone raved about it. The left overs we even better the next day. I did add some lemon zest and cut back on salt but it needed the salt or maybe 2 more anchovies. I added some cognac (2 teaspoons) to the leftovers and it was a nice addition.
Ms. Clark tells you to put the mixture into the pan after chilling, but does not explain why. I chilled it in the baking dish which happened to be a heavy cast iron, and it took the mixture so long to heat that the pastry melted some and was not as flaky and browned as it might have been. Learn from my mistake, and don't chill the baking dish! I omitted the capers and added 1/2 t saffron threads, dissolved in 1T boiling water, to the sauce. This was great. 4 adults and 1 kid polished it all off.