Skillet Seafood Pot Pie with Tinned Fish

I love a creamy fish pie with a fluffy mashed potato topping. But sometimes you want the golden, buttery, crackly crust of the pot pies we remember from childhood, and that’s where this Skillet Seafood Pot Pie with Tinned Fish comes in.

I'm using tinned salt cod for this recipe - one of the most popular tinned fish people pick up when they visit Portugal. If you’ve ever desalted salt cod yourself, you know it’s not a quick process. (It’s a rite of passage for those of us who’ve moved to Portugal.) But the flavor and texture of salt cod are hard to replicate any other way. Enter tinned salt cod: it’s already desalted, with the flavor and texture we love. I can’t think of a better use for two tins than this restaurant-fancy seafood pie under a pillowy, buttery puff pastry crust.

This recipe is part of my Feast of Seven Tinned Fishes series. If tinned seafood is your love language, try my Albacore Tuna Chowder or Portuguese Garlic Sardines next.

Ingredients for Seafood Pot Pie with Tinned Salt Cod

Tinned salt cod (bacalhau). Tinned bacalhau isn’t tinned fresh fish. It’s cured, so it tastes a little stronger, and it’s meant to run through the filling rather than sit in big chunks. Some tins come out already broken into small pieces, while Gallo’s bacalhau in olive oil with garlic holds bigger chunks and is excellent here: very mild, with a real kick of umami. Save 3 tablespoons of the oil and juices from the tins to cook the vegetables in.

The vegetables. Yukon Gold potato, leeks, garlic and frozen peas. Cut the potato into a ¼-inch dice, since the size matters more than the clock: bigger pieces need longer on the stove, and the oven won’t finish them for you. Rinse the leeks well, because grit hides between the layers. Use four garlic cloves for a plain tin, or three if your bacalhau is packed with garlic. The peas go in straight from the freezer for a little sweetness and color.

The sauce. Butter, flour and whole milk make a classic béchamel base, and Dijon and lemon zest keep it bright.

Puff pastry. One sheet, thawed but kept cold until it goes on the pie.

Why This Recipe Works

The filling is fully cooked on the stovetop, so the oven only has one job: baking the pastry. That makes the pie predictable. The potatoes and leeks are exactly as tender going in as they’ll be coming out, and you taste and season the filling before the crust ever goes on.

A shallow, wide skillet keeps the filling in a thin layer, so nothing sits far from the heat. And because bacalhau is cured, it’s firm enough to handle that time in the oven without falling apart.

The crust is made of squares of puff pastry, shingled over the top instead of one solid sheet. They’re easy to lay over a round pan, they bake up crisp and golden all the way across, and every serving gets perfectly crisp, buttery crust.

A Few Things That’ll Make This Easier

Prep the pastry first. Cut it into squares and brush them with egg while they’re still lying flat on the parchment. Then refrigerate them until you need them.

Use the right pan. An oven-safe skillet about 8 inches across with a 4-cup capacity is just the right size for this filling.

Watch for a dry pan. The potatoes add a lot of surface area. If the pan looks dry before the leeks are soft, add the butter early.

How to Make Seafood Pot Pie

1. Prep the pastry

Cut the pastry into 12 squares, brush the tops with egg, and refrigerate.

2. Start the potatoes

Cook the potatoes in the reserved tin oil and juices for 5 minutes.

3. Soften the leeks

Add the leeks and thyme and cook until soft and sweet, then add the garlic.

4. Make the sauce

Melt in the butter, cook the flour, then add the milk and simmer until thickened and the potatoes are tender.

5. Fold in the fish and peas

Off the heat, stir in the Dijon, lemon zest and chives, then fold in the bacalhau and peas and season.

6. Shingle the pastry

Lay the cold squares over the filling, overlapping slightly and draping over the rim.

7. Bake, Rest and Serve

Bake until the pastry is deep golden and puffed. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving.

Why Tinned Salt Cod?

Dried salt cod is a beloved fish in Portugal, and it’s what gives this pie its depth. It's savory, a little briny, and firm in a way fresh cod can't be. Tinned bacalhau gives you that same flavor and texture. It’s milder than dried salt cod and brings less salt to the pot than the name suggests, which is why the recipe seasons at the end instead of the start.

A tin or two of bacalhau is a fantastic souvenir to bring home from Portugal, or to order for friends. So if you have some hiding in your pantry, waiting for a worthy dinner menu, this is it.

Do I need to soak the salt cod?

Not with tinned bacalhau. Oil-packed bacalhau has already been desalted, so it goes straight from the tin into the filling. Dried salt cod is a different story: it needs a long soak with several water changes before it’s ready to cook, and this recipe isn’t written for it.

Why puff pastry instead of pie crust?

Puff pastry bakes up taller, flakier and more golden than pie crust in about 20 minutes, which is right in step with a filling that only needs to heat through. Cut into squares, it’s also easier to fit over a skillet and to serve. Pie crust would work, but it needs longer in the oven and won’t give you the same crackly, layered topping.

What is bacalhau?

Bacalhau is the Portuguese word for salt cod: cod that’s been salted and dried to preserve it. You’ll also see it called bacalao in Spanish and baccalà in Italian. In Portugal it’s practically a national obsession, and it shows up in everything from fritters to casseroles.

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