Spanish Seafood Pie

Spanish seafood pie sits in an earthenware dish

Spanish seafood pie combines many of the ingredients used to make a traditional British fish pie but adds a Spanish twist using a combination of fresh seafood, a tomato and vegetable base, and some sweet Spanish paprika (one of the most widely used spices in Spanish cooking). 

The result? The ultimate dinner party meal that will have guests coming back for seconds!  This recipe makes a delicious and warming seafood pie for 6-8 people that’s the perfect winter warmer or comfort food. Best of all, this Spanish seafood pie recipe can be made in under an hour and the result is nothing short of spectacular.

Serving:

6-8 people

Ready in:

1 hour

Skill level:

Easy

Serve with:

Alone or with bread

About This Recipe

Seafood is plentiful and delicious in Spain. You’ll find it on virtually every restaurant menu and if you’re lucky enough to be welcomed into a Spaniard’s home for a seafood meal, you’re in for a treat. Spain loves seafood, there is no doubt about it! 

So, with all this seafood extravagance floating around, why isn’t the humble Spanish seafood pie more popular? Well, worry no longer, we’ve gone and made the ultimate seafood paella and fish pie mashup (no pun intended!).

Seafood or fish pie?

This recipe is really a combination of two recipes from two very different countries. It uses the base sauce and seafood ingredients that are used when making seafood paella or seafood fideua from Spain while using the cooking process in the oven to make a pie that is similar to a traditional British fish pie. There’s even a little Dijon mustard in there so as not to leave out the French, making this dish truly a multi-cultural melting pot of flavors! 

One of the beauties of experimenting with this dish (apart from eating it of course!) was finding that pretty much any fish and seafood works well. We’ve made this dish before using just fish such as bacalao (Spanish codfish), some haddock, and salmon. 

We’ve also made it using the typical seafood ingredients used to make a seafood paella (paella de marisco), including shrimp, white fish, mussels, and squid. Both recipe ideas work well, but our tried and tested favorite is this Spanish seafood pie mashup recipe!

a large earthenware dish of Spanish seafood pie sits on a counter.

Seafood substitutions for Spanish seafood pie

Of course, to keep things simple, you can mix and match seafood to your liking. If you’re looking for an easy mid-week dinner that can be made in under an hour, this Spanish seafood pie recipe works a treat as you can make it with frozen seafood too (Walmart has 24 oz bags of mixed seafood for under $8). 

It works best with fresh seafood but if you’re planning to use frozen seafood, make sure it’s thawed and all the water drained out of the seafood mix so it doesnt make the pie filling too liquidy.

How to Make Spanish Seafood Pie

Equipment

  • 1 large 12-inch / 30cm pot with sides at least 6-inches / 15 cm deep
  • 1 large 8-inch / 20 cm pot with lid for boiling the potatoes
  • 1 large baking tray 12-inches x 9-inches (30cm x 23cm)

Ingredients

Method (step-by-step)

(Makes 6-8 good-sized portions)

For the seafood pie filling

  • 2 free-range eggs 
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tomato, skin removed and grated 
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 1 small zucchini (courgette), grated
  • 2 fl. Oz. (60ml)extra virgin olive oil 
  • 8.5 fl. Oz. (250ml) cream
  • 5 Oz. (150 grams) mature cheddar cheese 
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 Oz. (30 grams) of capers
  • 1 ½ tablespoons of sweet paprika
  • 1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard (or English mustard)
  • 1.5 Oz. (50 grams) of flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped
  • 10 Oz. (300 grams) of bacalao (cod), skin off, chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • 10 Oz. (300 grams) of baby squid, cleaned and chopped nto 1-inch chunks
  • 10 Oz. (300 grams) of medium-sized shrimp, heads removed, peeled, and de-veined
  • 2 packs (4 Oz./115 gram cans) of Vigo Spanish mussels (or similar)
  • A few threads of saffron 

Note: Alternatively to the seafood ingredients used above, you can always use a 35 oz. (1kg) mixed bag of frozen seafood. Just make sure it is thawed and all excess water is removed before adding to the pie filling mixture.

 

For the mash topping

  • 5 large potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 Oz. (60 grams) unsalted butter
  • 2 fl. Oz. (60 mls) milk

Method (step-by-step)

Step 1 – Prepare the vegetables for the filling

  • In a large pot on medium-high heat, add half of the olive oil and fry the onions for 5 minutes or until golden.  
  • Add the grated tomato, carrot, zucchini (courgette), sweet Spanish paprika, and a little salt and pepper for seasoning and cook for another 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. 
  • Preheat oven to 425 °F (220 degrees °C)

Step 2 – Add the seafood to the filling

  • Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the seafood mixture, Vigo Spanish mussels and the sauce, cream, parsley, lemon juice, and mustard and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir the ingredients well a few times. The seafood won’t be fully cooked but will have absorbed a lot of the paprika flavoring.
  • Remove the pie filling mixture from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Step 3 – Prepare the potatoes for mashing

  • Meanwhile, In a separate 8-inch pot on medium heat, bring to boil around 7 fl. Oz. (200ml) of water with a pinch of salt. Once boiled add the chopped potatoes and boil for 10 minutes or until soft. 
  • Lightly beat the 2 eggs and add them to the cooled pie mixture along with the capers and cheese.
  • Mix well and add all pie filling ingredients into a large baking tray.

Step 4 – Mash potatoes and add to top of pie 

  • Your potatoes should now be ready, mash them using some butter (or olive oil if you prefer) and a splash of milk. Add some salt to taste.
  • Use a spoon to gently apply the mash to the top of the pie mixture. Once evenly spread, use a fork to rake the top (this helps the tops of the pie to crisp up slightly).

Step 5 – Bake seafood pie 

  • Add to the oven and cook for around 25-30 minutes or until golden.
A large tray of Spanish seafood pie sits on a marble benchtop
A tray of Spanish seafood pie sits beside a baguette of fresh bread

Spanish Seafood Pie

Byron
This Spanish seafood pie recipe combines many of the ingredients used to make a traditional British fish pie, but adds a Spanish twist using a combination of fresh seafood, a tomato and vegetable base, and some sweet Spanish paprika.
4.89 from 9 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course dinner, Main Course, main meal, pie
Cuisine baked, British, French, Mediterranean, pie, Seafood, spanish
Servings 8 people
Calories 616 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 large 12-inch 30cm pot with sides at least 6-inches deep (for making the filling)
  • 1 large 8-inch pot with lid (for boiling the potatoes)
  • 1 large baking tray 12-inches x 9-inches (30cm x 23cm) (for baking the pie)

Ingredients

For the Seafood pie filling

  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 2 onions finely chopped
  • 1 to mato skin removed and grated
  • 2 carrots grated
  • 1 small zucchini courgette, grated
  • 2 fl. Oz. 60mlextra virgin olive oil
  • 8.5 fl. Oz. 250ml cream
  • 5 Oz. 150 grams mature cheddar cheese
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 Oz. 30 grams of capers
  • 1 ½ tablespoons of sweet paprika
  • 1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard or English mustard
  • 1.5 Oz. 50 grams of flat-leafed parsley finely chopped
  • 10 Oz. 300 grams of bacalao (cod) skin off, chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • 10 Oz. 300 grams of baby squid cleaned and chopped nto 1-inch chunks
  • 10 Oz. 300 grams of medium-sized shrimp heads removed, peeled, and de-veined
  • 2 packs Vigo Spanish mussels (or similar) 4 Oz./115 gram
  • A few threads of saffron

Note: Alternatively to the seafood ingredients used above, you can always use a 35 oz. (1kg) mixed bag of frozen seafood. Just make sure it is thawed and all excess water is removed before adding to the pie filling mixture.

    For the mash topping

    • 5 large potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
    • A pinch of salt
    • 2 Oz. 60 grams unsalted butter
    • 2 fl. Oz. 60 mls milk

    Instructions
     

    Step 1 - Prepare the vegetables for the filling

    • In a large pot on medium-high heat, add half of the olive oil and fry the onions for 5 minutes or until golden.
    • Add the grated tomato, carrot, zucchini (courgette), sweet Spanish paprika, and a little salt and pepper for seasoning and cook for another 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
    • Preheat oven to 425 °F (220 degrees °C)

    Step 2 - Add the seafood to the filling

    • Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the seafood mixture, Vigo Spanish mussels and the sauce, cream, parsley, lemon juice, and mustard and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir the ingredients well a few times. The seafood won’t be fully cooked but will have absorbed a lot of the paprika flavoring.
    • Remove the pie filling mixture from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

    Step 3 - Prepare the potatoes for mashing

    • Meanwhile, In a separate 8-inch pot on medium heat, bring to boil around 7 fl. Oz. (200ml) of water with a pinch of salt. Once boiled add the chopped potatoes and boil for 10 minutes or until soft.
    • Lightly beat the 2 eggs and add them to the cooled pie mixture along with the capers and cheese. MIx well and add all pie ingredients into a large baking tray.

    Step 4 - Mash potatoes and add to top of pie

    • Your potatoes should now be ready, mash them using some butter (or olive oil if you prefer) and a splash of milk. Add some salt to taste.
    • Use a spoon to gently apply the mash to the top of the pie mixture. Once evenly spread, use a fork to rake the top (this helps the tops of the pie to crisp up slightly).

    Step 5 - Bake seafood pie

    • Add to the oven and cook for around 25-30 minutes or until golden.

    Notes

    Spanish Seafood Pie-nutrition facts

    Spanish Seafood Pie-nutrition facts

    Nutrition

    Serving: 175gCalories: 616kcalCarbohydrates: 49.4gProtein: 39.8gFat: 29.4gSaturated Fat: 12.8gCholesterol: 307mgSodium: 695mgPotassium: 1576mgFiber: 7.6gSugar: 5.8gCalcium: 295mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword Baked, fish, mash pie, mash potato, mussels, pie, seafood, shrimp, Spanish pie, Spanish seafood, squid