This creamy Seafood Pot Pie is made with lobster, scallops, and shrimp in a creamy sauce with buttery & cheesy garlic biscuit topping.
I make this pot pie with cheddar garlic biscuit topping, but it could easily be made with a doubled flaky all butter pie crust, whichever your heart desires.
I have a cheaty easy chicken pot pie with frozen veggies, but this one uses fresh with easily accessible seafood (nothing canned here) usually found in the freezer section of most grocery stores.
I wanted to make a seafood pot pie that was balanced in flavor, not too expensive (I wanted crab but it's $.) and had enough flavorful meat in it to be delicious! This is a show stopping dinner for the holidays or Valentines Day and it can easily be halved and made into a 9 inch pie plate.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Creamy pot pie filling with savory seafood in every bite. Garlic and cheese from the biscuit topping, lemon zest too!
- Ease: Prepping veggies, cooking seafood, making filling & biscuits, and baking. Since the filling is cooked before going in the oven it takes less time to bake!
- Time: 15 minutes to make the filling, 30-40 minutes to bake the pot pie. Just under an hour total.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Seafood - I chose shrimp, scallops, and lobster since those are relatively economical (except the lobster, but I had to have it for lovely, delicious science) and readily available in most grocery stores.
- Veggies - my favorites to use are aromatics like celery, carrots, and onion, with some bell pepper for color and flavor too.
- Lemon - I don't use the juice but I DO love the zest on top of the filling right before the biscuits go on top.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Seafood - crab or clams would be great substitutions! The sky is the limit here. You can go all shrimp or lobster, add in more or less scallops, etc. This recipe is very forgiving and there's nothing wrong with adding more meat.
- Flour - can be substituted with gluten-free flour easily.
- Milk - I use whole milk but half and half or unsweetened plant based milk would work as well.
- Veggies - if there's a veggie you don't like, leave it out or put in one you do like. Other veggies that would work well here are butternut squash, turnips, leeks, or potatoes.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil for the lobster. Meanwhile prep the veggies by washing and chopping into small pieces, then transferring them to a large pot with butter over medium heat. Cook for 7-8 minutes until mostly soft, stirring often.
- Step 2. Boil the lobster tail(s) for 3-4 minutes until they reach at least 140℉. You can check the temp with an instant read thermometer. Avoid overcooking it by setting a timer for 3 minutes and checking the temp! Remove the lobster from the water and immediately put in the scallops and shrimp to cook for 3-4 minutes until pink.
TIP: To be efficient with time, I boil the water as I'm prepping veggies, then cook the veggies while I'm cooking the seafood.
- Step 3. Cut each lobster tail down the center on the bottom to remove the meat in one large piece. Cut the meat into bite sized cubes and set aside.
- Step 4. Remove scallops and shrimp from the water and KEEP THE WATER. This is now a lightly flavored seafood broth we need for the filling.
- Step 5. Add the flour and all seasonings to the cooked vegetables in the pan. Stir and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the flour is absorbed.
- Step 6. Pour in the milk and stir constantly. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
- Step 7. Add in chopped lobster tail, shrimp, and scallops.
- Step 8. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish and zest a lemon across the top if desired.
- Step 9. Make the biscuits! To a mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients and whisk together.
- Step 10. Add in the oil, milk, and cheese and mix until a dough forms.
- Step 11. Scoop over pot pie filling using a 1.5 Tablespoon scoop. I wouldn't go bigger than that or they take longer to cook.
- Step 12. Bake for 30-35minutes or until biscuits are baked through. Brush biscuits with butter and garnish with parsley for some extra fancy.
📌 Troubleshooting
- Watery filling: cause (too much liquid/no thickening) → it thickens as it cools, but adding more flour to the sauce or reducing the liquid when making the filling helps.
- Overcooked seafood: cause (cooked too long in water) → fix - set a timer when cooking in salted water.
- Undercooked crust: cause (oven temp/position) → fix - add 5-10 minutes to cooking time, check oven temperature with oven thermometer.
❄️ Make Ahead, Store, and Freezing Tips
It's easy to cook the filling ahead of time and the biscuit dough ahead.
Store cooked and cooled filling for up to 3 days refrigerated with the biscuit dough, assemble before baking. Add 10-15 minutes on to baking time.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Can seafood pot pie be made into a pie pan?
Yes! Half the recipe for a 9 inch pie pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
What seafood is best for seafood pot pie?
I chose lobster, scallops, and shrimp for flavor, cost, and because they're easy to find in grocery stores.
How do I keep seafood from overcooking in a pot pie?
Cook the seafood JUST enough and set timers before adding it to the rest of the filling.
🍽️ Mouthwatering Dinner Recipes
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📝 Printable Recipe
Seafood Pot Pie
I made creamy Seafood Pot Pie with lobster, scallops, shrimp, and a buttery & cheesy garlic biscuit topping. It's incredible!
Equipment
- 1 1.5 Tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 9 oz lobster tail(s), raw 260g meat
- 16 oz small scallops, raw
- 12 oz raw shrimp, tail off, deveined
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1½ cups chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped celery, 2 ribs 70g
- ½ cup chopped onion 74g
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 2 cups seafood broth from cooking shellfish
For the biscuits:
- 1 cup milk 240 mL
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teapoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
Instructions
For the filling:
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Bring small pot of water to a boil with salt.4 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt
- Meanwhile prep the veggies by washing and chopping into small pieces, then transferring them to a large pot with butter over medium heat. Cook for 7-8 minutes until mostly soft, stirring often.1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped , 1½ cups chopped carrots, ½ cup chopped celery, 2 ribs, ½ cup chopped onion, ¼ cup salted butter
- Boil the lobster tail(s) for 3-4 minutes until they reach 140-145℉ (see note 1). Remove the lobster from the water and immediately put in the scallops and shrimp to cook for 3-4 minutes until pink.9 oz lobster tail(s), raw
- Cut each lobster tail down the center on the bottom to remove the meat in one large piece (see note 2). Cut the meat into bite sized cubes and set aside.
- Remove scallops and shrimp from the water and KEEP THE WATER. This is now a lightly flavored seafood broth we need for the filling. (If you forget and drain the water, see note 3)12 oz raw shrimp, tail off, deveined, 16 oz small scallops, raw
- Add the flour and all seasonings to the cooked vegetables in the pan. Stir and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the flour is absorbed.⅓ cup all purpose flour , ½ teaspoon salt, 1½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon , ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- Pour in the milk and seafood broth and stir constantly. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened.1½ cups whole milk, 2 cups seafood broth from cooking shellfish
- Add in chopped lobster tail, shrimp, and scallops.
- Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish and zest a lemon across the top if desired.
For the biscuit dough:
- In a measuring cup, combine milk and vinegar.1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar
- To a mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients and whisk together.2 cups all purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, ¾ teapoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- Add in the oil, milk, and cheese and mix until a dough forms.⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil , 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Scoop over pot pie filling using a 1.5 Tablespoon scoop. I wouldn't go bigger than that or they take longer to cook.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until biscuits are baked through. Brush biscuits with butter and garnish with parsley for some extra fancy.
Notes
Note 1: You can check the temperature of the lobster with an instant read thermometer.
Note 2: The easiest way to cut a lobster is with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
Note 3: It's okay! You can use 2 cups of water with ¼ teaspoon salt added in to replace the broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 335kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 21gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 761mgPotassium: 371mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3341IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 258mgIron: 2mg
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Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
Fancy! The lemon zest on top was SPOT on.