Stargazy Pie

Step 1

Pour 1.5 cups flour and 0.5 teaspoon salt into a large mixing bowl and stir with a fork to combine.

Step 2

Add 6 tablespoons of cold, cubed butter to the flour and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs or sand.

Step 3

Pour 4 tablespoons of ice water over the flour mixture and stir gently with a fork until the dough just comes together into a shaggy ball; do not overmix.

Step 4

Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes while you prepare the fish.

Step 5

Set the oven to 400°F and wait until the indicator light or beep tells you it has finished heating, about 10 minutes.

Step 6

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 1/4 inch thick, roughly the size of your 9-inch pie dish.

Step 7

Lay the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie dish, letting any excess hang over the edge; do not trim it yet.

Step 8

Arrange the 8 cleaned fish on the dough in a circular pattern with their tails toward the center and their heads pointing outward and upward, so the heads poke through the crust.

Step 9

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley evenly over the fish, then fold the overhanging dough edges up and over the fish, pressing gently so the crust partially covers the tails and sides.

Step 10

Place the pie dish in the preheated 400°F oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the fish skin looks opaque, not translucent.

Step 11

Remove the pie from the oven and let it rest for 3 minutes, then slice and serve warm.