How to Make the Herring and Pumpkin Pie from Kiki’s Delivery Service (Ghibli Food) + Taste Review!

If you’re a Studio Ghibli fan, you probably know the classic anime film Kiki’s Delivery Service. And you might remember that iconic scene where Kiki delivers a freshly baked pie to a young girl from her grandmother, only for the girl to pout:

I bet I’m not the only one who felt a little annoyed at that granddaughter! Along with that irritation, I couldn’t help thinking:

Unable to resist, I immediately jumped online to search for recipes. I decided to recreate the famous “Grandma’s Herring Pie” from Kiki’s Delivery Service. Here is how to make it, along with my honest review!

If you’d like to watch or collect the movie, you can find the DVD/Blu-ray on [Amazon]!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• Kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin): 1/4
• Puff pastry sheets: 2 sheets
• Herring: 2 whole fish (or fillets)
• Flour: A little (for dusting)
• Butter: A small amount (for sautéing)
• Sliced melting cheese: 1 slice
• White sauce (Béchamel sauce, unsalted): 1 can
• Salt & Pepper: To taste
• Egg yolk: 1 (for egg wash)

If your white sauce is already salted, skip the extra salt and pepper. The sauce alone will add plenty of flavor!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Chop and Microwave the Kabocha

Chop the kabocha into small pieces and microwave them until they are soft enough to mash easily. Cutting them small makes this step much faster!

Step 2: Fillet and Sauté the Herring

While the kabocha is in the microwave, fillet the herring. Dust the fish fillets with a little flour and sauté them in a pan with butter until both sides are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper at the end.

Sautéing skin-side down first helps keep the delicate fish intact. If you’re worried about a fishy aroma, add a few thin slices of garlic to the pan!

Step 3: Mash the Kabocha

By the time the herring is done, your kabocha should be soft. Mash it until smooth (or leave it a bit chunky if you like texture) and season with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Layer the Kabocha in a Pie Dish

Press the mashed kabocha firmly into a tart pan or oven-safe baking dish.

Step 5: Add the Fish, White Sauce, and Cheese

Place the sautéed herring on top of the kabocha layer. Pour the white sauce over it, and tear up the melting cheese to layer on top.

Step 6: Cover with Puff Pastry

Cover the dish with a sheet of puff pastry. Use leftover pastry scraps to cut out fish shapes or decorative borders to place on top!

Step 7: Brush with Egg Wash and Bake

Brush the top with beaten egg yolk for a beautiful golden shine.

In the movie, Grandma bakes her pie in a traditional wood-fired stone oven. Since most of us don’t have one at home, bake it in a standard oven on the lower rack at a low temperature of 180–200°C (350–390°F) for 20 to 30 minutes.

Watch the Recipe Video on YouTube!

If you’d like to see the step-by-step process in action, check out my recipe video below!

In the video, I introduce an even easier version of the recipe with simpler ingredients, so please take a look! If you enjoy the content, don’t forget to subscribe to my channel for more Studio Ghibli and Japanese cooking videos!

⚠️ Important Baking Tip: Watch the Heat!

Oven temperatures and cooking times vary depending on the type of baking dish you use. Keep the heat low and bake slowly. If you look away for even five minutes, this can happen…

TOTAL FAILURE!

Even when the top looks burnt like this, the inside might still be undercooked. When baking this pie, keep these two rules in mind:

1. Bake slowly at a lower temperature.
2. After 15 minutes, check on it every 3 minutes.

If you control the heat properly, you’ll get a gorgeous, appetizing golden-brown finish like this!

Taste Review: How Does It Taste?

Time to dig into the freshly baked Herring Pie!

The herring isn’t fishy at all!

I hate to boast about my own cooking, but the sweet kabocha, crispy sautéed herring, creamy white sauce, and flaky pie crust blend together magically. It truly feels like a dish made with magic!

Enjoying this pie on a lazy afternoon with a glass of white wine on the balcony is sheer bliss.

The Real British “Stargazy Pie”: Expectation vs. Reality

In the UK, traditional herring pie is known as “Stargazy Pie.”

It has a poetic name that evokes romantic images of looking up at the stars. However, if you image-search “Stargazy Pie,” you will instantly understand why that granddaughter reacted the way she did…

Fortunately, with this Studio Ghibli-inspired recipe, it turns out completely cute and delicious. It’s a wonderful dish to make with kids for special occasions or family gatherings.

More Studio Ghibli Anime Recipes!

On my blog, I recreate various delicious iconic meals from Studio Ghibli movies (“Ghibli Meshi”). Check out my other recipes, including:

• Kiki’s Delivery Service Milk Porridge
• My Neighbor Totoro Satsuki’s Bento Box
• Spirited Away Ba-Wan (Taiwanese Meatballs)

Feel free to explore the rest of the blog and subscribe to my YouTube channel for easy-to-follow video recipes!