What is the Luxury Seafood Fish Pie?
– A gourmet seafood dish featuring premium shellfish and fish cooked in a rich, creamy sauce infused with wine and cognac, topped with delicious mashed potatoes
Recipe Intro
I had the opportunity to taste this exceptional dish at a friend’s party in Monte Carlo, where a private chef treated us to regional delicacies, including this remarkable fish pie. Inspired by the exquisite flavours, I recreated this luxurious dish at home. Using premium ingredients to transform a basic dish into something truly exceptional
As a fish lover, I can honestly say this dish is one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever tried. Its flavours are exceptional and must be tasted to be believed! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys seafood.
Ingredients for Luxury Seafood Fish Pie
- monkfish tail – I prepared it with 2 monkfish tail fillets, essentially using the meat from 1 monkfish tail. Alternatively, they can substitute with their choice of other white fish, or prepare it solely with shellfish, omitting the fish altogether.
- fresh mussels – 500g stated in the recipe is for the fresh mussels with shells.
- scallops – Can be either fresh or frozen.
- king prawns – They can be purchased whole or as tails but must be in their shell. For an excellent substitute, consider preparing with langoustines or scampi. For a more luxurious option, lobster tail is also a great choice.
- white wine – Use sweet or dry, depending on personal preference. Do NOT use red wine.
Feel free to increase the amount of shellfish and fish as desired. You can customize this dish by using any other seafood, like lobster, langoustines, scampi, clams or crab, to create your own unique version.
Note:
In this luxury dish, all ingredients should be fresh for the best flavour. However, if using frozen shellfish as a substitute, note that they won’t release the same delicious liquids as fresh mussels and crustaceans when cooked. This unique flavour cannot be replicated with just water.
For the sauce
- shallots – prepare with red onions, as it is sweeter
- garlic – this is optional
- mushrooms – buy small button mushrooms, don’t use other varieties, as they may overpower the seafood
- butter – buy unsalted
- parsley – use fresh
- dill – dry or fresh
- plain flour – for thickening the sauce
- cooking liquid from the monkfish
- cooking liquid from the shellfish
- cognac – You can use brandy or whiskey instead, depending on your preference and what you have on hand.
- lemon juice – use fresh lemon juice
Topping
- potatoes – Go for floury potatoes, they are perfect for achieving that smooth, creamy texture.
- butter – unsalted
- wholegrain mustard – Wholegrain mustard adds the best texture, but if unavailable, plain mustard works too. If using Dijon, go easy—it’s strong!
- the sauce – For the sauce in this recipe, we’re referring to the sauce made for the pie.
- sour cream – Sour cream is optional; alternatively, cream cheese can be used.
Rest assured, this dish is suitable for everyone, including children and those cautious about alcohol intake. The cognac and wine are fully cooked off during preparation, imparting depth of flavour without retaining any alcohol content.
How to make Luxury Seafood Fish Pie?
Prepare the potatoes by peeling, washing, and dicing them into smaller pieces.
Boil in salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender, then add the butter and mash while hot. Keep warm until ready to use as a delicious topping for the finished dish.
Prepare Fish and Shellfish
1. Cook Monkfish Tail
Pour the wine and water into a pot, and add the cleaned fish fillets. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes. Once done, remove the fillets and keep the liquid! Let them cool, then flake them apart.
2. Cook and prep seafood
In another saucepan, arrange the prawns at the bottom and layer the mussels on top. Add approximately 200-300ml of water, enough to cover the prawns. Mussels will steam-cook. Simmer on medium heat for about 7 minutes until the prawns are cooked in their shells and the mussels have steamed open. Set aside the cooking liquid; it will be used for the sauce.
Once cooled, extract the meat from the mussels and remove the tails from the prawns, discarding the shells. Slice the prawns lengthwise. The scallops do not require cooking at this stage; simply remove them from their shells and cut them into smaller pieces.
Make the Sauce:
In a pan, melt the butter and add finely chopped shallots, mushrooms, and parsley. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Now add garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for half a minute, stirring constantly.
Pour about 200ml of the liquid used to cook the fish and about 200ml of the shellfish liquid into the pan with onions. Stir continuously with a whisk to prevent lumps. If necessary, add extra wine or shellfish liquid.
Add lemon juice and double cream. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat. Be careful – if you use salted butter, do not add extra salt.
Stir in the cognac. You can adjust the thickness of the sauce; mine was the consistency of pancake batter, which is how I prefer it, but you may want it thicker or creamier. If so, simmer it a bit longer to allow some liquid to evaporate. And of course, if the sauce is too thick just add some more shellfish or fish broth.
Rest assured, this dish is suitable for everyone, including children and those cautious about alcohol intake. The cognac and wine are fully cooked off during preparation, imparting depth of flavour without retaining any alcohol content.
Assemble the Seafood and Fish Pie
- Add wholegrain mustard, 1-2 tbsp of the prepared sauce and sour cream to the potatoes. Mash everything together into a puree.
- It’s best to use individual ovenproof dishes, especially if you want the sauce thin as it would be impossible to separate portions. Butter each dish well.
- Layer the pieces of fish and mussels on the bottom. As the last layer, add the prawns or langoustines.
- Pour over the sauce.
- Carefully add the mashed potato on top, layer by layer. Gently spread and press it down. You can use cake decorating tools if you want the mash to look fancy.
- Bake at 200C for about 20 minutes; the potato should lightly brown, and the liquid should bubble.
- Once done, let it rest for about 15 minutes before serving.
Bon appétit!
Tip: I recommend placing the ovenproof dishes on a large tray to bake all at once. This makes it easier to remove them from the oven and prevents any liquid from dripping on the bottom of the oven.
How to serve Luxury Seafood Fish Pie?
Serve it in individual baking dishes for an elegant touch. If preparing as a large pie, make sure the filling has a thicker consistency to hold together well when portioned into servings.
This dish pairs perfectly with a refreshing Mediterranean salad. I served with sautéed chard. (recipe soon)
Serve with chilled champagne or a good quality dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, to complement this fantastic dish.
Recipe Card
Luxury Seafood Fish Pie – Monkfish and Shellfish Medley
Ingredients
MAIN
- 1 monkfish tail - plaice, or flounder
- 500 g fresh mussels
- 6 scallops
- 6-8 king size prawns
- 500 ml white wine
PIE SAUCE
- 2 shallots
- 10 mushrooms - small
- 40 g butter
- 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dill
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 100 ml liquid from cooking fish
- 200 ml shellfish liquid
- 3 tbsp cognac
- 200 ml double cream
- 1/2 lemon – juice only
- salt, pepper - to taste
TOPPING
- 4 potatoes
- 20 g butter
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 tbsp pie sauce
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- salt, white pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Peel, wash, and dice the potatoes. Boil in salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Mash with butter and keep warm.
- COOK FISHPour the wine and water into a pot. Add the monkfish tail fillets and cook on medium heat for 7 minutes. Remove the fish and reserve the cooking liquid. Let the fish cool, then flake apart.
- COOK SHELLFISHIn another saucepan, add prawns, then mussels on top. Do not add scallops. Pour in 200-300ml of water and cook for 7 minutes until the mussels open and the prawns are done. Set aside the cooking liquid. Remove the meat from the mussels and take the meat out of the prawn tails, discarding the shells. Slice the prawns lengthwise. Remove the scallops from their shells and cut them into smaller pieces.
- THE SAUCEIn a pan, melt butter and add finely chopped shallots, mushrooms, and parsley. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic last and fry for another 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for another half minute, stirring constantly.Pour approx 100ml of liquid used to cook the fish and about 200ml of the shellfish broth into the pan with onion and flour. Stir continuously with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add extra wine or shellfish liquid if necessary.Add lemon juice and double cream. Season with salt and pepper. Check for consistency, it should be similar to pancake mix. If too thin, just let it simmer a little bit longer, if too thick add extra broth. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cognac. Adjust the thickness of the sauce to your preference.
- POTATOES: Add wholegrain mustard, 1-2 tbsp of the prepared sauce, and sour cream to the potatoes. Mash everything together into a puree.
- ASSEMBLE THE DISHButter individual ovenproof dishes. Layer pieces of fish and mussels on the bottom, then add the prawns or langoustines on top. Pour over with the sauce.Carefully add the mashed potatoes on top, spreading and pressing gently. Use cake decorating tools for a fancy look if desired.
- BAKINGPlace the ovenproof dishes on a large tray and bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes until the potato is lightly browned and the liquid is bubbling.
- Let the dishes rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Bon appétit!
Notes
Each serving is presented in a small baking dish as pictured, which some may perceive as small for a single portion. Please take this into account when enjoying the dish. Adjustments can be made based on individual portion sizes and dietary needs.