Stargazy Pie
Stargazy Pie is a traditional Cornish dish featuring whole pilchards (or sardines) baked into a pastry crust, with their heads peeking out of the top. This savory pie combines flaky pastry with a creamy filling of fish, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs, offering a unique and hearty meal.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 1 hr 25 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Hard
Allergen information: may contain eggs, fish, gluten, and milk. Always check ingredient packaging if you have an allergy.
Mise en place
Ingredients
Converted for display; the recipe amounts stay equivalent.
pastry
- 300 gall-purpose flour
- 150 gbutter, cold, diced
- 90 mlcold water
filling
- 6 pcspilchard, whole, scaled and gutted
- 150 gbacon, streaky, chopped
- 1 pcsyellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 pcshard-boiled egg, sliced
- 250 mlmilk
- 120 mldouble cream
- 2 tbspfresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbspfresh dill, chopped
seasoning
- 1 tspsalt
- 0.5 tspblack pepper, freshly ground
egg wash
- 1 pcsegg yolk
- 1 tbspwater
Equipment
frying pan · rolling pin · plastic wrap · large bowl · knife · whisk · pie dish
The method
Step by step
- 1
Make the pastry: Sift the all-purpose flour into a large bowl.
About 2 min
- 2
Add the cold, diced butter to the flour and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: Work quickly to prevent the butter from melting too much.
- 3
Gradually add the cold water, mixing with a knife until the dough just comes together.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: Avoid overworking the dough to keep it tender.
- 4
Form the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- 5
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F).
About 10 min
- 6
Cook the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until crispy.
About 8 min
- 7
Remove the bacon from the pan, reserving a tablespoon of the rendered fat.
About 1 min
- 8
Add the finely chopped yellow onion to the pan with the reserved bacon fat and sauté until softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
About 7 min
- 9
In a bowl, combine the cooked bacon, sautéed onion, sliced hard-boiled eggs, milk, double cream, chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh dill, salt, and black pepper.
About 3 min
- 10
Divide the pastry dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other for the base.
About 1 min
- 11
Roll out the larger piece of pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit a 23cm (9-inch) pie dish.
About 3 min
- 12
Carefully line the pie dish with the rolled-out pastry, allowing some overhang.
About 1 min
- 13
Pour the filling mixture into the pastry-lined dish.
About 1 min
- 14
Arrange the whole pilchards on top of the filling, with their heads poking upwards through what will be the top crust.
About 2 min
Cook’s note: Ensure the fish heads are well-positioned for the 'stargazy' effect.
- 15
Roll out the remaining pastry to create the top crust.
About 2 min
- 16
Place the top crust over the filling and pilchards, carefully molding it around the fish heads.
About 2 min
- 17
Trim any excess pastry and crimp the edges to seal the pie.
About 2 min
- 18
Whisk together the egg yolk and water for the egg wash.
About 1 min
- 19
Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash.
About 1 min
- 20
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
About 40 min
Cook’s note: If the crust browns too quickly, you can cover it loosely with foil.
- 21
Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.
About 5 min
Keep it good
Store leftover Stargazy Pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheat slices in a preheated oven at 160°C (325°F) until warmed through.
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