Fish pies were often made into the shape of the fish being eaten, such as lobster, crab, salmon, or carp, and the crust embellished with elaborate pastry scales, fins, gills, and other details.
This recipe includes artichokes and asparagus, both considered aphrodisiacs in Elizabethan England. Artichokes originated in Sicily and were introduced into England by the Dutch. King Henry VIII’s fondness for artichokes was legendary, and he had them grown in his castle gardens. Artichokes, asparagus, and salmon were all expensive delicacies in Shakespeare’s day enjoyed only by the nobility and wealthy.
