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Stargazy Pie – a rich fish pie from Cornwall in the United Kingdom.

Stargazy pie, with sardines looking skywards before it is baked in the oven

The Wikipedia photo (shown) implies that rather than a two or three inch high"desert" pie tin one should use a pie dish that could be called a casserole dish.

Ingredients

(Dependant on size of pie-dish)

• As many fresh Herrings, Pilchards or Mackerel to fill your dish
• Sufficient pastry to cover your dish
• Fresh chopped parsley
• Salt & pepper
• Up to 6 eggs, or, ½ pint (300 mL) of cream, or top-of-the-milk
• Fine breadcrumbs
• Fat bacon rashers, (green or smoked to your preference)
• 2 Tbs. Tarragon vinegar
• Butter

Procedure

1. Scale, clean & bone the fish, retaining heads.
2. Season inside each with salt, pepper & parsley, roll neatly.
3. Butter dish, & sprinkle a thick layer of breadcrumbs on.
4. Lay in some of the fish, then alternate breadcrumbs & fish until dish is full.
5. Cover with rashers.
6. Beat eggs with vinegar, pour into pie, or use cream.
7. Cover with pastry.
8. Arrange heads on pastry, so as they are looking up (to the stars).
9. Bake in a hot oven.
10. Serve with a sprig of parsley in mouth of each fish.

Notes

• from St. Agnes W.I. in Cornish Recipes, Ancient & Modern, 22nd Edition, The Cornwall Federation of Women's Institutes 1965.
• First collected & published by Edith Martin, Tregavethan, Truro, 1929, for The Cornwall F.of W. I.