Shellfish, eggs and cheese seem an unlikely trio, but they pair perfectly when combined and baked in a pie shell. Fish is naturally low in calories, a good source of protein and rich in vitamins B-12 and C, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Despite the health benefits of the seafood, the quiche itself is a diet buster with all of the fat in the eggs, cheese, cream and the butter or shortening in the pie crust itself. In fact, one slice of seafood quiche can contain as many as 400 calories and 25 g of fat. Enjoy your seafood quiche, but only in moderation.
Pie Crust Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Step 2
Cover the rim of the pie crust with tin foil. Spread an even layer of pie weights or dried beans across the bottom of the pie shell to prevent it from bubbling up.
Step 3
Bake the pie shell in a preheated oven for 10 minutes until it is a light golden color. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. Remove the pie weights or beans.
Prepare the Shellfish
Step 1
Chop the seafood into 3/4-inch chunks.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat.
Step 3
Add the seafood to the pan when the butter is melted and the foaming has gone down. Cook the shellfish until the meat is opaque and turns a bright pink color, roughly 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 4
Remove the shellfish from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
Prepare and Bake the Quiche
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Step 2
Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, and beat lightly using a whisk. Add the cream to the eggs and mix until combined. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper and give one last whisk to incorporate the seasonings.
Step 3
Spread the seafood across the bottom of the pie shell, and top with the shredded cheese.
Step 4
Pour the egg mixture slowly over the seafood and cheese into the pie shell until the mixture reaches almost to the top.
Step 5
Place the quiche on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake the quiche for roughly 30 minutes, or until the top is puffed and golden brown, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the quiche to cool and set for roughly 10 minutes before serving.
Tips and Warnings
- Although shrimp, crab and lobster are common ingredients, you can also use crawfish, salmon, scallops, langostinos or any other fish with a firm flesh. Get creative with the ingredients and seasonings to create your own unique quiche. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse makes several variations of a seafood quiche, including spinach and shrimp quiche with hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Gruyere cheese, as well as a crawfish quiche with cayenne pepper, onions and cheddar cheese. Make quiche a day ahead and refrigerate it. Just pop it into a 350 F oven for 10 to 15 minutes to warm it up before serving.
- Avoid potential food-borne illness by storing and serving your seafood quiche properly. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that you place your fish in the refrigerator as soon as you purchase it, and cook it within two days. When serving the quiche, never let it sit at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour in high temperatures.
Things You'll Need
- 10-inch tart pan or 9-inch deep-dish pie pan lined with unbaked pastry dough
- Pie weights or dried beans
- Saute pan
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 lb. mixed shellfish, such as crab, shrimp and lobster, cleaned, deveined and meat removed from the shells
- Large mixing bowl
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream, or 1 cup half-and-half and 1 cup heavy cream
- Kosher or sea salt
- Ground white or black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
References
- FoodNetwork.com; Spinach and Shrimp Quiche; Emeril Lagasse
- FoodNetwork.com; Crawfish Quiche; Emeril Lagasse; 2005
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Fresh and Frozen Seafood: Selecting and Serving it Safely
- Penn Cove Shellfish: Shellfish Nutrition
- "The Washington Post"; Seafood Quiche; Decoyise Brown; May 2011
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