Tassie Living: Five of the best scallop pies

MADE famous by bakers in seaside towns around Tassie, the scallop pie has earnt the state quite a reputation among seafood cuisine lovers. The best of the best use fresh scallops, a mild curry sauce and crispy pastry.

Harbour Lights Cafe prides itself on the Yachtie Scallop Pie. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

MADE famous by bakers in seaside towns around Tassie, the unique scallop pie has earnt the state quite a reputation among seafood cuisine lovers. The best of the best use fresh scallops, a mild curry sauce and crispy pastry.

Harbour Lights Cafe

29 Morrison St, Hobart

The original owners of Harbour Lights were pie-oneers of the scallop pie about 45 years ago.

The original recipe, using Tasmanian scallops and a mild curry sauce in crispy pastry, remains a feature of the cafe menu and a favourite for seafood lovers abroad. Termed the Yachtie Scallop Pie, the hearty dish is famed among sailors who dock in Hobart’s harbour. The cafe’s owner says the pie is a piece of history that will never leave the menu. Take away for $9 or eat in store with a large salad for $18.

Dunalley Bakery

168 Arthur Hwy, Dunalley

Flavoursome local scallops fill the soft pastry casing of the scallop pies ($8.50) at Dunalley Bakery. They swim in a mild curry sauce, which does not overpower the natural seafood taste. Not all bakeries use Tasmanian scallops, and if there are no locally caught scallops, Dunalley Bakery will not have scallop pies for sale. The head baker’s pastry recipe has won him multiple awards.

Blue Edge Bakery

55 Burgess St, Bicheno

You will find seven to eight fresh, local and seasonal scallops in the scallop pies at Blue Edge. The scallops are plump and sweet and the creamy curry sauce is made from an old favourite recipe and a dash of lemon complements the seafood. The pies are only ever made with fresh scallops sourced locally and are not currently available. But when they are, you had better get in quick to get a bite of one of the best scallop pies around.

Brighton’s Best Bakehouse

1 Midland Highway, Brighton

Quality ingredients are key to the success of these award-winning scallop pies ($7.90). The creamy curry sauce complementing the seafood is made from quality, authentic spices from Spice House and the pastry margarine used is the best money can buy. The pie took out the Best Seafood category at the Tasmanian Bakers Show and has been a successful entrant in The Great Aussie Pie Competition.

Ross Bakery

15 Church St, Ross

These crispy and slightly smoky scallop pies ($8.95) are baked in a wood-fired oven. The casing — puff pastry on top and pie pastry on the bottom — holds 6-8 scallops depending on size. The seafood is immersed in a mild laksa curry sauce. Around 60 scallop pies are handmade at the Ross Bakery each day and that number increases regularly parallel to the pie’s popularity.

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