United Kingdom Stargazy Pie
With origins in the coastal fishing region of Cornwall, the visually arresting stargazy pie is a twist on the beloved British meat pie: a flaky, buttery crust; a briny, milky sauce; and, of course, the fish heads. The story goes that a Cornish fisherman named Tom Bowcock braved a stormy winter sea to bring back a boatful of pilchards for his famine-struck village of Mousehole. On December 23 every year, Bowcock is celebrated in Mousehole with a festival and, of course, heaping servings of stargazy pie.
Recipe Servings: 8
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 5 oz (141 g) bacon
- ½ cup (75 g) chopped onion
- 2 hardboiled eggs, peeled and diced
- ½ Tbsp (7.5 ml) fresh parsley, plush whole stems for garnish
- ½ Tbsp (7.5 ml) tarragon, plus whole stems for garnish
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts, or enough dough for a top and bottom crust
- 6–8 herring or pilchard, each about 6 inches (15 cm) long, gutted and deboned, heads attached (tails may be removed)
- 1 beaten egg
- Juice of ½ a lemon
Directions
- Chop bacon and sauté in a hot skillet until the fat begins to render.
- Add chopped onion to pan and cook until it is translucent and bacon is just beginning to crisp.
- Transfer bacon and onions into a bowl and mix in hardboiled eggs, parsley, and tarragon.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Roll out a pie crust and lay it in the bottom of a pie pan, making sure edges hang over pan sides.
- Brush beaten egg around rim of crust.
- Place fish into pie dish, arranging with heads poking over the top of the dish up to the level of the gills.
- Fill pie with bacon mixture, spreading it into gaps between fish.
- Sprinkle lemon juice over dish.
- Lay second pie crust over dish, carefully cutting slits over fish heads and pressing dough down around fish heads so they protrude from crust.
- Press dough around heads to seal and trim extra dough from edge.
- Press and crimp edge of crust to seal.
- Brush top of pie with beaten egg.
- Bake until golden and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and tarragon.
Copyright © 1993—2024 World Trade Press. All rights reserved.