Festive Fish and Herb Christmas Tree Pie

Prepare all ingredients. Thaw puff pastry beforehand. Open and remove bones from the canned fish. Thoroughly wash fresh herbs (dill/parsley/cilantro).

Finely chop or blend the dill into a homogeneous mass.

Separate the fish from the liquid and divide it into small pieces.

Divide the puff pastry into two parts. Roll out the dough into two identical rectangles or triangles (to match the shape and size of the future Christmas tree).

Spread the chopped herbs onto the dough. If the dough is in the shape of a triangle, leave a 1.5-2 cm gap from the edge. If the dough is in the form of a rectangle, arrange the chopped herbs in the shape of a triangle.

On top of the herbs, place the chopped fish. Season the filling with salt if necessary.

Combine the edges of the dough. If the dough is in the shape of a triangle, carefully pinch the edges. If the dough is in the shape of a rectangle, press the edges of the dough around the filling and trim off any excess dough with a sharp knife.

Using a sharp knife, make crosswise cuts on the future tree, leaving the center of the pie intact (the tree trunk).

To make the fish and herb pie beautiful, wrap the strips of dough with filling around its axis several times. Be careful not to damage the shape of the future pie or the filling.

Brush the pie with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. If desired, use the remaining dough to cut out star-shaped or other suitable shapes and decorate the pie with them. Bake the pie in a preheated oven at 180-200°C until golden brown for 20-25 minutes. If the pie starts to brown too quickly, you can cover it with foil.

Spread the finished pie with butter and it is ready to be served.

Use puff pastry for this pie to make it crispy. You can also use yeast or sweet pastry. As a filling, you can use cheese with greens, one kind of green (or pesto sauce), pre-cooked minced meat, thick berry or fruit jam. If you plan to make a fish pie, besides canned fish, you can use raw fish mince. It is better to choose canned fish in their own juice without adding oil. Any fish, both white and red varieties, such as saira in its own juice, sardine, and pink salmon, will be suitable for making the pie. If you don't salt the filling of the pie, you can salt it on top with aromatic salt mixed with herbs or spices. You can make this pie a day before the holiday, bake it the day before without brushing it with egg and not baking until golden brown (about 15-18 minutes). Store the pie in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or food wrap until ready to serve. Just before serving, brush the pie with beaten egg and bake until golden brown (7-10 minutes). Then brush the pie with butter and serve.