Savoury Fish and Spinach Hand Pies

This recipe is for a small, hand pie in a shape of a fish. It's a great way to use up leftover fish, make a quick snack or a filling addition to your kid's lunch box. Can be eaten warm or cold, reheated in the microwave or air fryer.

It's a fun activity if you want to involve the little ones in the process of cooking or trick them into eating fish.

Recipe can be easily multiplied and/or adjusted.

You can make it in 30 min thanks to store-bought pastry and 3D printed cookie cutters.

Supplies

For 2 fish pastries:

-50g salmon bits - poached, roasted, leftovers or tinned

-40g spinach- cooked from fresh or frozen, chopped and with water squeezed out as much as possible

-40g cream cheese

-10g grated cheddar cheese (optional)

-2TBS finely chopped onion ---- you can also use shallot or scallions or replace altogether with 1tsp of onion powder

-1 garlic clove, minced---- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

-zest from 1 lemon and 2tsp lemon juice

Additionally:

-1TBS milk or 1 small egg for egg wash

-1 roll of store bought puff pastry (320g)

-pastry brush, baking parchment, rolling pin, a handful of flour

Step 1: 3D Printer Files and JPG

I provided STL files for the exact same cookie cutters I used to make this project.

The sizes are big enough to make 2 fish pies out of one puff pastry sheet.

Printed with PLA, with retraction (absolutely necessary!).

If you don't have a 3D printer, you can print a JPG of a fish outline and cut the pastry by hand with a knife and scoring the top layer to make scales/fish face.

Step 2: Filling

To make the salmon/spinach filling simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Add a pinch of pepper and salt.

Step 3: Puff Pastry

Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and leave it to warm up for 10 min before unrolling.

Use a rolling pin to flatten the sheet a little bit. This action will prevent the pastry from puffing up too much and helps preserve the shape or the fish.

Step 4:

Use the 3D printed cookie cutters to cut the shapes out of the pastry or freestyle it with a knife.

If the dough is sticking to the rolling pin or the cutters, dust everything with some flour.

One pastry sheet will only be enough for 2 hand pies.

Step 5:

Spoon half the fish filling onto the pastry leaving a few mm border free of filling.

Place the scaly top fish pastry on top and use a fork to scrimp the edges all around the fish outline.

Apply a dab of water to the the fins for better adhesion and slide them under the pastry. Dab a drop of water to the small pastry circle and "glue" the eye in position.

Step 6: Egg Wash

Transfer the pastries to a flat baking sheet and brush with an egg wash.

Bake for 18-20 min at 170C in the fan assisted oven or air fryer.

Step 7: Enjoy