Alaska Halibut Pot Pie

Everybody loves pot pie. It has got to be in the top five of all comfort foods. Its buttery, flaky 'lid' keeps all the creamy goodness piping hot until you finally dig in and take that first bite. It's heaven on a chilly day! While spring is right around the corner up here in Alaska, we are still on the tail end of winter, which means blustery days and near zero temps at night. So a halibut pot pie is the perfect meal to keep us motivated and dreaming of summer. In order to make room in my freezer for the upcoming fishing season I grabbed a pack of halibut and got busy. I used a pre-made puff pastry for the top crust, but of course, you can always make it from scratch if you are so inclined... :) ~Patti

Yield: 1 regular 9" pie

or 4 cute little 6 ounce pies 

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1-1/2 pounds halibut, cut into small chunks

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin

1 small potato, peeled, diced small

1 large leek, white part only, sliced thin

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup AP flour

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 frozen puff pastry sheet

1 egg (for egg wash)

Salt and pepper to taste

Serves: 4

First, combine milk, heavy cream, and halibut in a stock pot and bring to a simmer, cooking for about 7 minutes until the halibut flakes. When done, remove fish and strain milk into a bowl. Set aside.

Next, slice and dice your leeks, mushrooms, and potatoes. Par-boil your potatoes in a small saucepan (only takes about 5 minutes, just till they are fork-tender). When done, drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet and sauté leeks and mushrooms about 7-8 minutes until leeks are soft and mushrooms are browned. Reduce heat and stir in flour thoroughly and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and add nutmeg, celery salt and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in milk/cream mixture and keep stirring so you have a consistent sauce. Add the potatoes, peas, and the halibut. Use your fingers to flake the halibut as as you add it in.

Cook about 5 more minutes on medium-low heat to thicken. Turn off heat and just let it rest in the skillet - you'll be filling those pie shells in just a minute...

Thaw puff pastry according to directions if store-bought. Set out your pie tins and pour in the halibut filling. Lay a piece of puff pastry over each pie and trim and seal edges. Paint a little egg wash on top of each one.

Slide those babies into a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. 

Let cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

These little guys stand alone, so you don't even need a side dish, just a hearty appetite and a handful of napkins!