Hebridean pasty: A wee twist on the classic Cornish recipe

Our Celtic cousins in Cornwall inspired me to recreate their iconic Cornish Pasty with a twist. Instead of the traditional beef, I use Scottish hot smoked salmon. These pasties are ideal for a picnic, as they can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Hebridean pasty

Makes: 2

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

250g strong bread flour

15g butter

60g vegetable shortening or suet

½ tsp salt

90ml cold water

1 egg, beaten with a pinch salt, for glazing

For the filling:

85g onions

100g swede

175g potatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

175g hot smoked salmon

Knob of butter

Method:

You can buy ready-made shortcrust pastry, but here’s how you make it at home. Add the flour, butter, shortening or suet, salt and water into a bowl and with a spoon combine the ingredients. Begin to use your hands – you will be left with quite a dry dough. Knead the dough vigorously for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for an hour.

Peel and chop your onion, swede and potato into wee 1cm squares, mix and season well in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 170C/340F.

Divide the pastry dough in half and roll out each into a 25cm round. Spoon half of the vegetable mix onto one half of each round and lay half of the salmon on top, then add a knob of butter on top.

Brush the pastry all the way round the edge with the beaten egg. Fold the pastry over, push with your fingers to seal.

A traditional pasty is crimped around the edge 20 times by making small twists along the sealed edge.

Put the pasties onto a lined baking tray and brush the top with the egg.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the pasties are golden brown.

Recipe extracted from ‘The Hebridean Baker: Recipes and Wee Stories from the Scottish Islands’ by Coinneach MacLeod (Black and White Publishing, £20; photography by Euan Anderson), out now.