The Australian meat pie is one food item that is deemed to be a truly local culinary meal. It is also an iconic snack that goes hand in hand with Aussie Rules Football. I like the idea of pies, they are such a comforting and traditional food, especially when well anointed in bottled sauce, but as I don’t eat meat, the native version is not for me. I’m also not a fan of football, but as the AFL Grand Final is today, I may watch a short segment of the match, perhaps the last 5 minutes, as I eat my very untraditional Australian scallop pie. Two Victorian teams will be battling it out, they tell me, the Cats and the Tigers: I may keep some earphones handy and listen to music as it’s the sound of football I dislike the most. I don’t mind a few close ups of the lads climbing all over each other in their attempt to get their hands on that leather ball. As the state of Victoria remains under strict lockdown, the finals match will be played in Brisbane, Queensland, a state that has managed to avoid the plague so far.
During this extraordinary year of the pandemic and consequent very strict lockdown, I’ve developed my pie making skills, thanks to the discovery of a base recipe by Australian chef Neil Perry. I’ve discovered that the success of a good pie, which in my case is either vegetarian or seafood, comes down to the flavour and texture of the glutinous sauce which binds the ingredients together. I’ve played with Neil Perry’s base sauce recipe many times now and have adapted it to the ingredients and herbs that grow in my garden. So far, I’ve made pumpkin and carrot pot pies, leek, potato and cheese pies, and these wonderful scallop pies. Once you master this sauce, you can add anything really. The pie filling can be placed in a ramekin dish and topped with puff pastry, or you can use pie molds for a complete top and bottom pastry lined traditional pie. It’s worth spending a little extra on very good commercial puff pastry, especially if you’re planning to fill them with expensive, seasonal Bass Straight scallops.
I’m breaking this recipe into a few parts. The first part deals with the binding thick gravy. I’ve adapted the original recipe from Perry and switched to stock for the liquid ( the original used milk). I’ve also added mild curry powder for these scallop pies, but use Dijon mustard for other vegetable versions.
Very adaptable thick pie gravy recipe, enough for 4 pies
- 80 gr butter
- 1 1/2 Tb EV olive oil
- 1 leek, white and pale green parts, finely sliced
- 2 Tb wild fennel herb finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- sea salt, freshly ground white pepper to taste
- cayenne pepper, a pinch
- 1/2 cup plain ( AP) flour
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups stock, made from stock cubes or powder, warmed
- 1 heaped teaspoon of mild curry powder such as Keens
- 1/4 cup cream
- zest of 1/2 lemon, optional
- small handful of flat leafed parsley, finely chopped
To make the sauce, heat the butter and olive oil in saucepan over low heat. Add the leek, fennel herb, garlic, a pinch of salt, white pepper, cayenne and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the flour and curry powder and cook until the mixture bubbles and becomes grainy, stirring as you go.
Gradually pour in the wine, stirring well, then gradually add the warm stock. Continue stirring until the mixture bubbles. Add in lemon zest and parsley, the taste and check seasoning.
The filling and pastry for scallop pies, enough for 4.
- 300 grs fresh scallops, remove hard digestive tracts on side, cut large scallops in half
- 1 potato, around 120 gr or so, peeled, diced and cooked in water for 10 minutes
- 1 pkt of good quality butter puff pastry sheets. You’ll need four sheets for encased pies or two sheets for ramekin pastry topped pies.
- 1 egg mixed with 1 Tb milk, whisked together for the pastry glaze
Putting the pies together
After you’ve made the pie gravy, add the raw scallops and cooked diced potato to the mixture. Cool the mixture while defrosting the puff pastry sheets.
Grease some pie tins and line with pastry cut to shape. Fill the pies with cooled scallop mixture. Top with pastry lids cut to shape and crimp well, joining top to lining. Brush the egg glaze over the pastry. Pierce or fork the top of each pie to allow the steam to escape. Place the pies on a baking tray and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200c or 180 c FF. Bake the baking tray in the centre of the oven and bake for round 20 minutes or until pastry is golden.
If you make a version of these pies, using the special thick and flavoursome gravy recipe, let me know. I’m keen to collect more good versions.
Below is a collage of my week in Instagram pics. Instagram is a lot less demanding than blogging, especially now that WordPress has changed its editing programme. Am I the only one struggling to adapt to this new geeky block editor?
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The pie looks delicious, and so do the iris!
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I love your interpretation of the pie gravy, especially the substitution of stock for milk… the original essentially white sauce-plus. I’ll have to sub shallots for leeks my co-eater doesn’t do leek. Now to get my hands on some scallops.
I doubt we’ll be watching our NRL footy grand final offerings today, but if we did it would be the audio I’d enjoy most… the soundtrack of my childhood winter weekend afternoons.
Imo WordPress’ new Block editor interface is a p.i.t.a. You can select the old and also imo Classic editor from the left hand (I think) column. It’s still clunky but do-able. And I often Google “how do I xxx in WordPress” for assistance. That said, I enjoy seeing your real-time Insta-pics, and the weekly gallery to round up your post looks fab.
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This is good news Dale. I looked on the side, in the settings and all over the place for the old editors and failed. This new one really annoys me and has a detrimental effect on my writing. It’s odd, but I just feel less fluent when hampered in this way, like trying to write with my left hand.
That old sound of footy on the radio , a childhood sound, is the thing I don’t like about it….a reminiscence of cold Melbourne winters, the suburbs, boredom. I have escaped, but Mr T still likes the occasional match.
The ģravy is really good in these pies. I started with Neil Perry’s pumpkin and carrot pot pies (google the recipe) and have played from there.
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This looks delicious!
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Even tho’ I do not usually bake I have loved the look of your scallop pie from first sight. There is a firm plan for when i next do access scallops . . . Instagram – I got ‘into it’ by accident and am non-productive myself . . . do not even own a camera at the moment and am on landline phone here . . . but: find it a hugely easy daily way to keep in contact with many friends overseas . . . a picture oft IS worth a thousand words ! Three-or-four to-and-fros in five minutes bring us delightfully up-to-date for the day 🙂 !
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My husband and youngest daughter just love pies – so far they’ve only made the meat variety – but this beautiful scallop pie will have all three of us in the kitchen. I loathe football – my eyes just glaze over and so does my brain! I had the ‘pleasure’ of watching the game last night with 3 other couples – I had trouble staying upright! I love your photos.
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Lovely, lovely pix francesca. Hopefully victorians will be out of jail soon. Meanwhile your beautiful garden and animals must be a comfort. Is that scruffy cocky a baby? Thanks for reminding us of pies. I intend to try your recipe, but as i dont appreciate curry powder thought maybe a few indian spices instead? Mustard seeds? Coriander seeds? Any other suggestions? All the best, louise
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Hi louise, the curry powder used is Keens, a very non Indian taste. I wouldn’t use coriander or spices…. it’s a traditional tasmania pie. I think the est way to go is either a little mustard powder or dijon, or stick with the fresh herb taste. Indian spices would alter that old world taste. I’ve eaten plain ones, based on a milk based sauce, in Tassie, and they are just as good.
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Thanks Francesca. Dijon sounds just the ticket.
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Hi Louise again, I forgot to mention that the scrawny cocky has some disease. After sharing the pic, a friend suggested we take it to a wildlife center for care, and to prevent the spread of this… but imagine trying to catch a wild cockatoo or what are the chances he’ll return.
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That looks simply wonderful. I’m afraid I don’t have much of a chance finding any scallops,though.
be well… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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It’s a very adaptable recipe. You can use the same weight given for scallops and potato, about 450 gr, in either lightly steamed vegetables or other seafood/fish. It’s a good firm gravy filling.
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I’ll take your scallop pie signora. No meat pies in favour here, with me or the Small People!
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I have never eaten a meat pie, but it should be good
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A wonderful adaptation and one I could enjoy even without a football game going. I love \savory pies such as this and think I will love this one as well.
I use WordPress.org and we have an option to use the classic editor which I use. I think your WordPress.com so I don’t know if they have an option to choose between the two.
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Thanks, I’ll need to investigate further. The new editor has put me off writing. I hope there’s a solution. And good to see you posting again Ron.
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I have just resubscribed to your blog. I hope I start to get email notice again. I don’t know why it stopped.
I hate the new block editor at WordPress. I never use it, I can still use Classic Editor but I worry they will take it away.
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Nice to see you back Debra. And I good to see yourvpica of Bagni di Lucca in the snow.
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Sorry to burst your bubble but Australia has been making scallop pies for many, many years – but in Tasmania! Now that I have found your recipe I will have go off and but myself 400gms scallops – a little extra for a fish pie.
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No bubble was burst!!. I am an Australian and have eaten my share of Tassie scallop pies over the last 40 years of visiting that state, some very good ones and some very ordinary ones too. This post is simply a recipe for them, as I enjoy making them. I hope you enjoy making them too.
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Very hard to access scallops in regional Aust, but a barramundi done in this sauce would just about blow your mind. Especially if you used a nice rub on the fish. Yum yum.
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