Stargazy pasties

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
A spin on the traditional Cornish pie- sardines ‘gaze’ out of puff pastry parcels filled with a bacon, egg and parsley mix

Prep:25 mins
Cook:30 mins

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 615
fat 39g
saturates 15g
carbs 30g
sugars 1g
fibre 0g
protein 37g
salt 1.9g

Ingredients

3 eggs
6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped
large handful curly parsley, roughly chopped
flour, for dusting
500g pack all-butter puff pastry
6 whole large sardines or pilchards, scaled and gutted but heads and tails still attached (you can get your fishmonger to do this)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Tip

Stargazy pies and pasties

Stargazy pies are a traditional Cornish dish, with pilchard heads poking through the pastry, gazing up at the stars. As well as adding drama, the theory is that as the pies bake, the oil from the head and gills helps to baste the pastry. This easier version is a nod to the Cornish pasty. If the idea of heads and tails is a bit too much, they work just as well with filleted sardines completely encased in pastry.

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cook 2 of the eggs in boiling water for 8 mins. Drain and cool under cold water, then peel and roughly chop. Heat a frying pan until hot and sizzle the bacon until crisp. Mix the eggs and bacon together in a bowl with the parsley and seasoning.
Dust your work surface with a little flour, divide the pastry into 6 and roll out circles just a little shorter than each sardine fillet. Brush the sardines with a little mustard and stuff with some of the egg-and-bacon mix. Lay each fillet on a circle of pastry. Beat the remaining egg and brush a little over the edges of the pastry. Bring the 2 sides together firmly to encase the sardines, leaving the heads and tails poking out – tilt the head a little so that’s it’s pointing upwards. Pinch the edges to look like a Cornish pasty and place on a baking tray. Brush all over with beaten egg and bake for 25-30 mins until golden. Cool slightly before serving.