Pilchard Pot Pie

Pilchard Pot Pie

Windy and rainy with the leaves blowing around, fall has arrived and I wanted something warm amd cozy to curl up on the couch with.
A pilchard(sardines), potato, pickle and pea pot pie…. too many P's… maybe 😆

Some may be alarmed by the addition of pickles(cornichons) but trust me, they help break up the richness of the whole dish. Of course you can omit them if it seems too far out there for you, no judgements here.
Feel free to use store bought pie dough, but I just zip up a quick crust in the food processor, as you can add additional flavors, like here dill was perfect… I've also done black pepper.. which is pretty amazing!
This is a warm and comforting dish that filled my soul and my belly.
Get cooking y'all!

Rough idea of recipe here…. not exact amounts, cooking is feel.. so sometimes I add more onion.. or less., etc.
Have fun with it.

-2 sticks of celery, chopped
-1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
-2 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
-2 cloves minced garlic
-1 leek chopped
-1/2 cup of chopped cornichons(little baby pickles
-1/2 of frozen peas
-1/4 cup of chopped parsley
-2 Tb chopped tarragon
-2 Tb chopped dill
-several sprigs of thyme
-3 to 4 cups of fish stock(you can sub with chicken stock, this will make it more mellow on the fishy flavor, which some like)
-3/4 cup heavy cream
-3/4 cup white wine(I like a sauvignon blanc)
-1 can of sardines in olive oil. Bone in, boneless, doesnt matter here.

Meduim heat, I start with using the oil from the tin to saute the onions, celery and leeks. Throw in your thyme sprigs to hang out with the veg. Cook until desired doneness, I like my onions really soft and celery soft but with a little body. The goal here is to soften the veg, not brown it or give it color.
Add garlic and cook until fragrent, about a minute.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and simmer to reduce the wine down until there is almost nothing left.
Add your fish stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove your thyme and add your heavy cream.
I made my thickener separate, I prefer a roux for this, which is just equal parts fat and flour whisked together and cooked for a few minutes to get rid of the raw flour flavor. Of course you can use other thickeners as well, like cornstarch slurry, arrowroot or clear gel… lot of options.
I use a roux as it give me another layer of flavor and richness.

Whisk in your thickener until desired thickness is achieved, I beleive I had about a 1/2 cup, just remember the thickener hasn't delivered it's full potential until it has simmered fully, so add some, and wait to determine if you need to add more.

Next, add your potatoes and simmer for 4 mins. Side note.. I chopped my potatoes pretty small, not just so they will fit on a spoon when eating but so they will cook fast and still have some toothiness( not overcooked).
Add your fresh herbs and chopped pickles.

For a pie crust, I just use a basic recipe(so many options online) flour, cold butter and ice cold water.
Made in a food processor and with added dill, for the perfect dill dough.

Assembly time, form your pie crust into your dish, add a couple spoonfuls of filling, sprinkle on some peas( I add these last minute to help ensure they don't over cook). Add a couple fillets of your beautiful sardines, I try to leave them as whole as possible.
Top with a couple more spoonfuls of filling and throw on your crust lid.
Seal and crimp your crust, poke a vent hole and make a little fish with soke left over crust.. completely optional but will make your life much more enriched 😉
Brush crust with heavy cream to help with even browning.

I put it on a foil lined pan, this is my insurance policy, that if it leaks, there is something to catch it instead of the bottom of my oven.
Throw this into a 375 °F oven and bake until beautifully golden brown, approx 30-45 mins.
This recipe made 2 pot pies.