1 ts Butter
8 md Herrings, cleaned
-and boned, heads left on.
1 ts Salt
1/2 ts Black pepper
2 1/2 tb Prepared English mustard
8 oz [2 cups] shortcrust pastry
4 Hard-boiled eggs sliced
2 md Onions, finely chopped
4 Slices of streaky bacon,
-rinds removed & finely
-chopped
1 tb Dried mixed herbs
4 fl Oz double cream [1/2 cup
-heavy cream] 1 Egg, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 10″ pie dish with the butter, set
aside Season the fish inside and out with the salt and pepper. Spread
a teaspoon of mustard over the inside of each fish & set aside. On a
floured surface, roll out the dough till one inch larger than the top
of the pie dish. With a knife, trim the edges and cut a 1/2 inch
strip around the dough. Dampen the rim of the dish with water and
press the dough strip on to the rim. Set aside. Place the egg slices
on the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay the fish over the eggs, with
the tails pointing towards the middle and the heads overlapping the
edge of the dish. Sprinkle over the onions, bacon and mixed herbs.
Pour over the cream. With a pastry brush dipped in water, lightly
moisten the strip of dough around the rim of the dish. Using a
rolling pin, lift the dough on to the dish. Carefully seal the dough
around the fish heads. With a sharp knife, cut a fairly large cross
in the center of the dough. With a pastry brush, coat the surface of
the dough with the beaten egg. Roll out the dough trimmings and use
them to make decoration for the top of the pie. Place the pie in the
oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden
brown. Remove the pie from the oven and serve immediately.
Yields
8 Servings