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Salted Pilchard and Leek Pie
Salted Pilchard and Leek Pie is a traditional British recipe (from Cornwall) for a classic pie of salted pilchards and leeks in a shortcrust pastry shell that's finished with the addition of hot cream. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Salted Pilchard and Leek Pie.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
45 minutes
Total Time:
65 minutes
Serves:
6–8
Rating: 
Tags : Vegetable RecipesMilk RecipesBaking RecipesBritish Recipes
This has been a Cornish staple from the 1750s to the 1950s. It is considerably out of favour as a dish today, but is presented here for both completeness and historical interest. Essentially it's a dessert of curds and whey mixed with wine and sugar that's served with clotted cream and apricot jam.
The recipe presented here is based on one from the 1930s.
Ingredients:
4 salted
pilchards
5 large leeks
350g (about)
savoury shortcrust pastry
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk, to glaze
2 tbsp capers
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
250ml single cream
Method:
Wash the salted pilchards well, place in a large bowl, cover with water and set aside to soak for 24 hours, changing the water several times during this period. Once the pilchards have soaked you can either leave them whole or strip the meat from the bones.
Once the pilchards have soaked sufficiently, wash the leeks, remove the outer leaves then trim the ends. Slice the leeks in half lengthways then cut into 5cm lengths.
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the leeks and blanch for 2 minutes. Turn into a colander and set aside to dry.
Take just over half the pastry, turn out onto a floured work surface and roll out until large enough to cover the base and sides of a pie dish. Trim the edges neatly then arrange the leek pieces neatly in the base. Nestle in the salted pilchards, scatter over the capers and season to taste.
Roll out the remaining pastry until large enough to cover the top of the pie. Sit the pastry loosely on top (do not crimp down as it will need to be removed later) and trim off any excess.
Cut a coupe of steam holes in the top then transfer the pie to an oven pre-heated to 150°C and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked and tender and the pastry is golden brown.
Take out of the oven, take off the top and drain off any liquid from inside the pie. Heat the cream to scalding in a saucepan, pour into the pie, replace the top crust and serve.
