Traditional Stargazy Pie 🐟🥧
This uniquely British pie hails from Cornwall, with its iconic fish heads peeking through a golden puff pastry crust. It’s a comforting and delicious dish made with fresh fish, eggs, and potatoes, all in a creamy sauce. A quirky yet delicious taste of Cornish heritage!
Ingredients:
🐟 Fresh fish (traditionally sardines or pilchards): 4 whole, cleaned and filleted
🥔 Potatoes: 300g, peeled and thinly sliced
🧅 Onion: 1 medium, finely chopped
🧈 Butter: 50g
🥛 Milk: 300ml
🧂 Flour: 30g
🍳 Eggs: 2, boiled and chopped
🍋 Lemon zest: 1 tsp
🌿 Fresh parsley: 1 tbsp, chopped
🧂 Salt and pepper: to taste
🍞 Puff pastry: enough to cover your pie dish (approx. 250g)
🧈 Extra butter: for greasing the dish
Method:
🐟 Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan)/220°C/425°F. Grease a deep pie dish with butter.
🧅 In a frying pan, melt 50g of butter and gently cook the chopped onion until soft and golden.
🥔 Add the thinly sliced potatoes to the pan, cooking for a few minutes until slightly tender. Remove from heat.
🧈 In a saucepan, melt another 50g butter, then whisk in the flour. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously to make a smooth sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, then season with salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
🍳 Stir the chopped boiled eggs and fresh parsley into the sauce, and pour this mixture over the onions and potatoes. Stir until everything is well combined.
🐟 Lay the fish fillets in the pie dish, ensuring the fish heads are poking out through the filling, as this is the key feature of the stargazy pie.
🥧 Spoon the potato mixture over the fish, spreading it out evenly.
🍞 Roll out the puff pastry and cover the pie, sealing the edges. Use any leftover pastry for decorative touches on top if you like.
🧑🍳 Brush the top of the pastry with a little butter or milk, then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
Serving Information:
⏱ Prep Time: 30 minutes | 🍴 Servings: 4-6 | 🔥 Calories: ~350 per serving