fried fish pie

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Nigerian fish pie is a mini pie made with fish filling. It is a very simple recipe and yet very delicious. You can make this with any fish of your choice but mackerel and sardines are usually the best choice. This fish pie is very flaky, crispy and extremely delicious.

• Dice the onion and set aside.
• Drain the oil of a can of sardines into a saucepan and heat it up over medium heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt to the hot oil and saute until they are translucent.
• Add only the sardines of the 2 cans, break them down with the spatula as you stir to combine with the onion. Add curry powder, dried pepper and garlic powder, stir to combine. Cook it for 2 - 3 minutes then remove from heat, transfer into a bowl and allow to cool.
• In another bowl, pour in the all purpose flour, add salt and mix to combine, Add the softened butter to the flour and mix until it looks like bread crumbs. Gradually add water until  it forms a ball of dough. Sometimes, you might need less or more water depending on flour. That is why it is very important to add the water a little at a time. Try not to overwork the dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, cut the dough into 2. Cover and set 1 half aside while you work on the other half of the dough. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll out the dough. Lift and move the dough after rolling it out so that the dough does not stick to the surface. Do not roll it out thinly because the pie could burst open in the oil during frying. Cut out circular shapes or discs. You can cut them into different sizes. You can use a plate or bowl to trace the shape, then cut them out with a knife or use a pie mold or press to cut them out. Place some filling in the middle of the circular dough, fold it over and seal the edges with a fork. Do not add too much filling otherwise the pie would not seal properly and could pop open in the oil. Make sure you use up all the dough even the dough from the cutout.
• When you are done, heat up some oil in a large pot, enough oil to deep fry the pies. Heat it up over medium heat, Drop the pies in when it is hot (do not overcrowd the pot). Fry the pies until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel to cool. Enjoy your flaky, crispy delicious fish pie with any beverage of choice. Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze  them for months.

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter or margarine

1/2 cup water (room temperature)

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup flour for dusting

Vegetable oil for frying

Filling

2 cans sardines

1 small onion

Dash of dried pepper

Pinch of salt

1 tsp curry powder

Dash of garlic powder