Indulge in a touch of French elegance with this delectable Seafood Vol-au-Vent recipe. Delight guests with flaky, golden puff pastry shells filled with a luxurious mix of tender seafood in a creamy, flavorful sauce. Create a sophisticated appetizer or main course that’s perfect for any occasion. Use the seafood filling from this recipe with my Dill French Crêpes for a great brunch idea!
Stuff a different kind of shell with my Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells and Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells recipe. Use more cans of crab meat with my grandmother's Crab Puffs recipe. Create more impressive appetizer recipes with my French Onion Sausage Rolls and Greek Loaded Hummus.
Ingredients
Find below the list of ingredients I used for my Seafood Vol-au-Vent recipe.
- Puff Pastry Patty Shells
- Butter
- Flour
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Salt
- Milk - as seen, A2 Gut Friendly Milk (external link)
- Lemon Juice
- Fresh Dill
- Garlic Cloves
- Frozen Shrimp (thawed and drained)
- Frozen Scallops (thawed and drained)
- Canned Crab Meat
- Frozen Peas
See recipe card for quantities.
Cooking Instructions
Start the Seafood Vol-au-Vent by baking off the "patty shells" as per the instructions on the box. Remove from the oven and let them cool while you prepare the filling.
- Melt the butter in a skillet or large saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in the flour, Old Bay seasoning and salt. Mix continuously until the "roux" becomes smooth and simmer for a minutes.
- Keep whisking while slowly adding the milk. Make sure whisk the sauce until smooth before adding more milk to the pan. Cook the "bechamel" sauce until it simmers and thickens.
- Add the finely chopped garlic and fresh dill into the bechamel sauce. Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice and stir everything in the sauce.
- Make sure that the frozen shrimp and scallops are thawed out and drained of any liquid. Drain the can of crab meat, and add all of the seafood to the sauce. Cook the seafood in the sauce if not already cooked.
5. Fold the peas into the seafood filling, bring back to a simmer and then take the pan off the heat.
6. Use a knife to carefully remove the tops from the baked vol-au-vents.
Fill the Vol-au-vent shells right before serving so that the shell stays crispy, and the filling warm. Place the cut out tops over the filling as a "hat" Serve any extra filling on the side.
Top Tip
Make sure that the frozen seafood is thawed out completely and drained of any excess liquid before adding to the bechamel. This is very important, because any added liquids will thin out the bechamel and the filling will turn into a soup.
Storage
Cool the the filling and shells for the Seafood Vol-au-Vent completely before storing. Store the puff pastry shells and the filling separately, to keep the pastry crisp. Transfer the seafood filling to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Store the pastry shells in a dry container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Reheat the filling gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of cream or broth if needed. Warm the pastry shells in the oven to restore their crispness, then reassemble and serve.
Recipe
Seafood Vol-au-Vent
Ingredients
- 6 pieces Puff Pastry Shells
- ¼ cup Butter
- ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Milk
- 2 cloves Garlic finely minced
- 1½ tablespoon Fresh Dill finely chopped
- 200 grams Frozen Shrimp thawed and drained
- 200 grams Frozen Scallops thawed and drained
- 120 grams Canned Crab Meat drained
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¾ cup Frozen Green Peas
Instructions
- Start the Seafood Vol-au-Vent by baking off the "puss pastry shells" as per the instructions on the box. Remove from the oven and let them cool while you prepare the filling.
- Melt the butter in a skillet or large saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in the flour, Old Bay seasoning and salt. Mix continuously until the "roux" becomes smooth and simmer for a minutes.
- Keep whisking while slowly adding the milk. Make sure whisk the sauce until smooth before adding more milk to the pan. Cook the "bechamel" sauce until it simmers and thickens.
- Add the finely chopped garlic and fresh dill into the bechamel sauce. Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice and stir everything in the sauce.
- Make sure that the frozen shrimp and scallops are thawed out and drained of any liquid. Drain the can of crab meat, and add all of the seafood to the sauce. Cook the seafood in the sauce if not already cooked.
- Fold the peas into the seafood filling, bring back to a simmer and then take the pan off the heat.
- Use a knife to carefully remove the tops from the baked vol-au-vents. Fill the Vol-au-vent shells right before serving so that the shell stays crispy, and the filling warm. Place the cut out tops over the filling as a "hat" Serve any extra filling on the side.
