Whilst we believe you can’t go wrong with a traditional meat pie for dinner, we often like to change things up in the kitchen and experiment during the colder months. If you prefer to avoid red meat and poultry in your diet, you’ll be glad to know that we headed back to Bracher Arcade to chat to our expert fishmongers to grab their tips to creating perfect winter seafood pies.
Claringbold’s Quality Seafood
Nicole at Claringbold’s says when it comes to winter feasting you can’t go past a Scallop Pie the ultimate crowd pleaser.
“There’s nothing better than tucking into a Scallop Pie with a buttery pastry and juicy, melt-in-your-mouth scallops. For the filling, we’d suggest cooking the scallops with vegetables in a creamy curry sauce, or if you love all things cheese, like us, opt for a hearty mornay pie, where the scallops are cooked in a tasty mornay sauce and topped with a layer of cheesy goodness.
Fresh scallops are best, however if you choose to use frozen scallops, make sure to drain and pat dry once they’re thawed, as any excess liquid may water down the sauce mixture.”
Periwinkle Fine Seafoods
Ting from Periwinkle’s suggests adding in-season snapper to your winter pie mix.
“Local snapper is at its best during the winter months, making it the perfect option for your next fish pie. You can choose to steam the snapper in a bamboo steamer for about 3 minutes before adding to the filling, or simply add all your mixture ingredients straight into an ovenproof dish to bake for around 30-35 minutes.
Snapper traditionally pairs beautifully with fennel and Dijon mustard, but if you’re feeling more adventurous then try your hand at a sauce Soubise (French onion sauce). Add a drizzle of truffle oil to finish for an extra luxurious touch.”
Prahran Seafoods
When Peter at Prahran Seafoods thinks of the perfect seafood pie, he reaches for the King prawns.
“A relatively quick and easy dinner option that both your family and dinner guests will love is Prawn and Potato Pie. We’re loving King prawns right now at Prahran Seafoods, as they’re available in abundance and don’t take long to cook through. For our version of seafood pie, we like to whip up the King prawns in a cheesy baby spinach sauce before topping with a simple potato mash (and a sprinkle of extra butter of course!).”
So, if you’re thinking about creating winter seafood pies this season, head to Bracher Arcade on your next Market trip and pay our expert fishmongers a visit.
