Pot pie usually doesn't contain seafood in it, but here at Moms Who Think we're all about trying something new. Keeping your dinner menu varied will help fight off boredom and keep your whole family excited for when dinner is served. We've decided to take the uniqueness of this recipe up a notch further by using the slow cooker for part of the cooking process.
Using a slow cooker to make a pot pie isn't too common, but it's a great way to give yourself some help with this type of recipe. You won't need to use the slow cooker for too long in this recipe. In total, you'll be cooking with the slow cooker for about three hours.
While parts of this recipe cook in the slow cooker, you can take the time to do other things. Whether you have chores to do, kids to pick up, or you have the opportunity to just relax, you can let the slow cooker do the heavy lifting for a little while. This is not one of those recipes that allows you to just throw all of the ingredients in the crock pot and walk away, but it's still an efficient way to make pot pie.
Seafood is a great choice for dinner, regardless of what form it comes in. Make sure to buy sustainably-sourced seafood when possible. Many seafood companies don't pay enough mind to the environment. You don't want your dollars to put threatened and endangered sea species at risk.
Seafood Pot Pie
Ingredients:
Parchment paper
¼ cup butter
1 cup chopped onion or 1 leek, thinly sliced
2 teaspoon jarred minced garlic
1 (8 ounce) packaged baby Portobello mushrooms
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup chicken broth
1 (11 ounce) package frozen baby broccoli blend
1 (1 pound) cod fillet, cut into 2-inch pieces
½ pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained and picked free of shell
½ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper
½ (17.3 oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten
¼ cup dry sherry
Directions:
1. To make a template for pastry lid, place a 3½-quart slow cooker lid on parchment; trace lid shape. Remove lid. Cut out parchment shape, and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in half-and-half and broth; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in vegetables. Cover and cook on low 2 hours. Uncover and stir in cod, crabmeat, salt, and pepper (cooker will be almost full). Cover and cook on high 1 hour or until cod flakes with a fork.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place parchment template on pastry, and cut out pastry using a paring knife. Place pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk. Bake at 400° for 14 to 15 minutes. Stir sherry into pot pie. Top pot pie with pastry lid just before serving. Serve hot.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Theerawan/Shutterstock.com.