Mini Seafood and citrus mash pies
Christmas and New Year are well and truly done, the decorations have been packed away, the friends and relatives have left and the detox diets have started (to ease the guilt of the excess of Christmas).
You’ve returned to work feeling re-charged, full of energy, inspiration, ideas and goals for the year. All sounds plausible if it’s winter where you live. But let’s be honest, if you’re down under and you’re enjoying summer, it’s probably about now that you’re checking the calendar for the next public holiday. Just as well then, that the First Fleet timed their landing to satisfy cravings for a post Christmas day off.
You guessed it; I’m already counting down to the next excuse to feast. But Australia Day themed food caused me to stop, and think. I wanted to make something that captured Australian fair. A standard meat pie wasn’t going to cut it, pav was nicked from the Kiwis and prawns on the barby is a bit cliché.
The result – mini seafood and dill pies with a citrus mash topping. They’re bursting with flavour and the perfect size for an Australia Day picnic. Although they are best served piping hot, they still taste good with a salad.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Equipment: Food processor, frying pan, measuring jug, rolling pin, 1 deep fill muffin tray, large saucepan
Ingredients
Pastry base
- 200g unsalted butter – cubed and chilled
- 400g plain flour – chilled
- Pinch salt
- 100ml iced water
Citrus mash topping
- 1kg potatoes – peeled and quartered
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Knob of butter (precise technical measurement)
- 300ml warm milk
- 100ml cream
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbs. fresh chopped dill
Filling
- 1 red onion – peeled and finely diced
- 1 clove garlic – finely chopped
- 300gm flaky white fish fillet – I used warehou, but you can use anything
- 500g – fresh, raw prawns shelled and chopped in half (about 750gm unshelled)
- 250ml-thickened cream
- 1 tbsp. plain flour
- ¾ cup fish or chicken stock
- ½ cup of dry white wine
- ½ cup of fresh dill and flat leaf parsley – finely chopped
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 tbsp.. Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- Olive oil
Method
- Make the pastry (see video) and set aside in the fridge to rest.
- Fill a large saucepan with water, bring to the boil and add the potatoes. Boil for about 10-15 minutes or until soft all the way through. Drain, cover and set aside.
- In the frying pan, heat a lug of olive oil and a knob of butter. Fry the onion over a low heat for five minutes, then add the garlic.
- Cook for a further 5 minutes until the onion and garlic are translucent.
- Remove the onions and garlic from the pan and set aside.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and fry the prawns for 1 minute.
- Add the fish, fry for a further minute. Stir gently to cook evenly. Remove the fish and prawns and fish and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
- Return the onions and garlic to the frying pan. Add the tablespoon of flour and stir over a low heat for 1 minute.
- Add the wine and stock, whisk to remove lumps as you bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer. Now add the cream and Dijon mustard, continue to simmer until the sauce thickens.
- Add the prawns, fish, lemon and chopped fresh herbs and stir over a low heat for five minutes. Season to taste, remove from heat and set aside.
- Grease the muffin tray.
- Roll pastry out to the thickness of a 50 cent or 50 pence piece. Use a large cookie cutter to cut out the pastry bases and line the muffin tray with the pastry rounds.
- Depending how hot it is in your kitchen, you may want to put the tray of pastry bases in the fridge while you make the citrus mash, (helps to ensure light pastry).
Filled and waiting for a citrus mash topping
Ready for the oven
- For the mash, add all the ingredients to the saucepan you used to boil the potatoes and mash to a smooth puree. A potato ricer delivers epic results but a masher is fine.
- Remove muffin tray from fridge and divide the seafood mixture into the pastry bases. Don’t fill to the top though.
- Finally pipe or spoon the mash neatly onto the top and pop the pies in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the mash is golden.
- Serve hot or cold.
Whats the most Australian of Australia Day food for you?
Happy Australia Day – in advance
About the Author
Gareth Englishman in Sydney loves a whisky, pies and all things savoury. Digital Marketer by day, cook the rest of the time. Amateur writer, photographer & aspiring anthropologists.
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Hehe yep I’m there checking my calendar just like you! These are adorable Gareth! And perfect for any outdoor entertaining 😀 Thank goodness for Australia Day too-it’s great that we don’t have to wait too long after NYE.