Hervey Bay is renowned for its abundant seafood. The waters surrounding Fraser Island are rich with an incredible variety of species, but nice fresh prawns and scallops are perfect for these tasty seafood pies.
This recipe draws on tropical island flavours to compliment the subtle seafood tastes, so break out the rum, coconut milk and limes and give this recipe a go for your Christmas visitors.
We made a batch of 4 dozen for a birthday party recently and they went like hotcakes.
Recipe:
Makes approx. 20 individual serve pies
2 red onions, finely
diced
Good splash olive oil
1 each leek and celery
stalk finely diced
Half bunch thyme leaves
chopped
Bunch fresh coriander chopped
3 red chillis chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
30 ml Bundy rum - their Tropical Pineapple & Coconut blend is perfect if available
50 gm melted butter and
50 gm plain flour mixed to make a roux
1 cup coconut milk
1 kg peeled uncooked
Fraser Coast prawns chopped
1 kg Hervey Bay scallop meat, halved.
Finely grated rind of 1
lime
Salt & pepper for seasoning
1 tin sweet corn kernels
Shortcrust pastry
2 egg yolks for brushing
Method
Heat
oil in large pot or pan and add chopped onion, leek, celery, garlic, chillis, and
thyme and soften over low heat.
Add
coconut milk, coriander, rum, lime, sweet corn and let flavours combine over low
heat for 5 minutes.
Add
half of prawns and scallops for just a couple of minutes until juices just start
to release and bubble.
Add
roux slowly to pot while mixing to thicken. Add a little water or stock if
necessary to achieve just enough thick sauce.
Remove
from heat. Stir in remaining prawns and scallops and set aside.
Filling
should be chunky and not too runny.
Grease
individual pie flans with butter and line with shortcrust pastry.
Spoon
filling into pies taking care not to overfill (about 2/3 filling).
Add
shortcrust pastry top, crimp down all around onto pastry base and brush with
egg yolk. Cut a vent into pie top to allow steam to escape.
Place
in preheated oven at 190 degrees until pastry is golden and cooked (20 – 30
minutes).
Allow
pies to cool a little before removing gently from flans.
