These creamy salmon pot pies are a delicious, easy and hearty feast full of flavor. Seasoned with fresh dill and parsley, these individual homemade pies are all kinds of tasty! Chunks of fresh salmon are cooked in a creamy sauce for a yummy pescatarian main.
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Savory pies are one of my favorite comfort foods, and these creamy salmon pot pies are hands down delicious! Chunks of fresh salmon in a herb and parsley creamy sauce, I mean, what's not to love?!
These pies also make for a great Christmas main course as they taste really rich and indulgent, and they make for great freezer meals too.
Easy to make from scratch, these meat free pies are topped with a peppery shortcrust pastry.
For more salmon recipes be sure to check out my Creamy Salmon Pasta and Salmon with Red Pepper Sauce.
How to make salmon pot pies
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
Make the pastry
- Rub the butter and flour together and stir in the pepper (photo 1).
- Add water, form a ball and chill in the fridge (photo 2).
Make the filling
- Soften the onion and garlic and add the peas. Stir in the flour (photo 3).
- Add in the clam juice, cream, mustard, cornflour slurry and simmer (photo 4).
- Stir in the salmon and herbs and set aside (photo 5).
Make and bake the pies
- Roll out the pastry and cut to shape.
- Fill the pie dishes with the filling (photo 6).
- Add on the pastry tops, trim and brush with egg wash (photo 7).
- Bake!
Recipe Variations
These pies are delicious as they are, but you can easily make a few changes to adapt to your tastes.
- I decided to make four mini pies in mini ceramic dishes. If you prefer, you can make one larger pie in a 9 inch pie dish.
- I used peas in the pie filling, but you could easily use other veggies that you have instead. Broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers or carrots would all work well.
- Make them gluten-free by using a 1:1 gluten-free flour and pastry dough.
- Clam juice adds a wonderful seafood flavor to this dish and really enhances the flavor of the salmon. You can also use fish stock, and in a real pinch you can use chicken stock.
Frequently Asked Questions
I used fresh salmon fillets for this recipe, but you can easily use frozen or even canned.
If you use frozen salmon fillets, thaw them completely before using and pat the dry to get rid of any excess moisture that will have been retained during freezing. Tinned salmon should be drained first.
A traditional fish pie is topped with mashed potatoes, but I like to use a pastry topping for a different texture. It's super quick and easy to make your own shortcrust pastry with just a few ingredients, and it also allows you to add more flavor, in this case, black pepper. You of course can use a store bought pastry and puff pastry is also a great choice.
This creamy salmon pot pies are great to serve with your favorite veggie and potato sides. Try them with:
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Lemon Broccoli
Roasted Parsnips
Roast Potatoes
Make ahead and storage
There's lots of make ahead options for these creamy salmon pot pies and they are great for meal prep.
Make ahead
- The filling can be made up to a day ahead of time and be kept covered in the fridge.
- The pastry dough can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate
- The pies can be made up and kept covered in the fridge for a day or two before baking.
- The baked pies will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat them at 350F, with the tops covered with foil, for about 20 to 30 minutes until heated through.
Freeze
- Baked pies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 350F for around 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes with the tops covered with foil. Or, defrost overnight before reheating for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Unbaked pies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw and bake as per recipe instructions or cook from frozen for around 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- If making ahead of time, let the pies cool completely before storing.
- Cut the salmon in small bite sized chunks and be sure to distribute it evenly in each pie dish.
- Leave a little overhang on the pastry lids as it will shrink once baked.
More Pie Recipes
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Creamy Salmon Pot Pies
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
- 4 ounces all-purpose flour
- 2½ ounces salted butter
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- water as needed (I used 3 tablespoons)
For the salmon pie filing
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup clam juice (can also use fish stock)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour in the UK)
- 8 ounces salmon fillets (2 fillets) chopped into bite sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 beaten egg
Instructions
Make the shortcrust pastry
- Place the flour in a large bowl and add in cubed cold butter.
- Use your hands to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the black pepper.
- A tablespoon at a time, mix in water until a dough forms. It should form a ball with no dry flour. I used about 3 or 4 tablespoons of water.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes while you make the rest of the recipe.
For the filling
- Place the butter and oil in a pot over a medium heat and let the butter melt.
- Add in the chopped onion and garlic and cook until the onion is softened.
- Stir in the peas.
- Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes while stirring.
- Pour in the clam juice and cream, add the mustard and stir to combine.
- Mix the cornflour with 1 teaspoon of water, and stir the slurry in.
- Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Take the pot off of the heat and add in the salmon chunks, dill and parsley and stir to combine. Set to one side.
Make the pies
- Pre heat the oven to 390F / 200c.
- Roll out the pastry and cut circles that will cover the dishes.
- Evenly place the filling into each pie pot.
- Brush some beaten egg on the rim of each dish and place the pastry lid on top.
- Press down the pastry with a fork all around the edge and trim the excess, leaving a little overhang to allow for shrinkage. Brush the pastry with a little beaten egg.
- With a sharp knife, make a couple of holes into the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.
- Bake in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the top of the pies are golden brown.
Notes
- If making ahead of time, let the pies cool completely before storing.
- Cut the salmon in small bite sized chunks and be sure to distribute it evenly in each pie dish.
- Leave a little overhang on the pastry lids as it will shrink once baked.
Michele says
I would have given these at five, but I thought they lacked flavor. Next time I will use chicken broth instead of clam juice. I don’t think the clam juice added flavor to them. I also added chopped potatoes for more substance. These were delicious, anyway! I will make them again
Lissette says
Never had salmon pot pie before and they did not disappoint. Kept everything the same besides the mustard and waited for the onion to caramelize. Thanks for sharing!