Brik

Ingredients

Filling

• 160 gtinned tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked
• 1small onion, very finely chopped
• 2 tbspcapers, rinsed and chopped
• Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1boiled potato, crushed (optional, for body)
• 1 tspharissa
• ½ tspground caraway
• Salt and black pepper
• 4very fresh eggs

Pastry and frying

• 4 sheetsmalsouka (feuille de brick)
• 1egg white, beaten, for sealing
• 500 mlolive oil or a light olive-oil blend, for frying
• 1lemon, cut in wedges
• Extra harissa, to serve

Directions

1. Mix the tuna, onion, capers, parsley, crushed potato, harissa and caraway and season well. It should be moist but not wet – excess liquid tears the pastry.
2. Lay one malsouka sheet on a plate. Spoon a quarter of the filling onto one half, spreading it into a crescent and building a low wall around a hollow in the middle.
3. Crack an egg into the hollow, keeping the yolk whole. Work fast now – the raw white starts softening the pastry within a minute.
4. Brush the rim with egg white, fold the sheet over into a half-moon or triangle and press the edges firmly closed.
5. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan to 180°C (350°F) – deep enough that the brik floats, about 3 cm.
6. Slide the brik in, folded edge first, and spoon hot oil over the top continuously for about 60–75 seconds until it puffs and turns pale gold.
7. Turn once and fry a further 45 seconds. It is ready when the pastry is blistered and crisp and the white has just set – the yolk must still be liquid.
8. Lift out, drain briefly and serve immediately with lemon and harissa. Eat it with your fingers, biting a corner and tipping it up so the yolk runs into your mouth rather than down your shirt.

Technique

• The runny yolk is the point and the test. Tunisians judge a brik by whether the yolk floods out at the first bite – a set yolk means it was fried too long.
• Malsouka is not filo. It is a single thin pancake of semolina batter dabbed onto a hot plate, and it fries crisp without layering or buttering.
• Assemble one at a time and fry it straight away. A tray of made-up briks will go soggy and burst in the oil.

Substitutions

• Filo pastry can be used in a double layer, brushed with oil between the sheets – it shatters more and browns faster, so drop the temperature slightly.
• Spring roll wrappers are a common workaround abroad; they are chewier but hold the egg well.

Variations

• Brik à l’oeuf, the plainest and most classic – egg, parsley and nothing else.
• Brik with minced lamb and onion, or with prawns, or with soft cheese and mint.

History

A thin, crisp pastry, its delicate malsouka dough wrapped around a filling of egg, tuna, capers and parsley, then folded and deep-fried until golden, documented across Tunisia as one of the country’s most iconic and beloved traditional dishes, particularly associated with the fasting month of Ramadan, when it is commonly eaten to break the daily fast. Its defining technique, frying the pastry just until the egg inside reaches a soft, still-runny consistency without fully hardening, requires precise timing and is considered essential to a properly made brik, with the pastry’s delicate, paper-thin malsouka dough demanding careful handling. Brik remains one of the most internationally recognized dishes of Tunisian cuisine, closely tied to Ramadan tradition specifically.

Frequently asked questions

What is Brik?

Brik is a street food from Tunisia: shatteringly crisp malsouka pastry around runny egg, tuna, capers and parsley. A thin, crisp pastry, its delicate malsouka dough wrapped around a filling of egg, tuna, capers and parsley, then folded and deep-fried until golden, documented across Tunisia as one of the country’s most iconic and beloved traditional dishes, particularly associated with the fasting month of Ramadan, when it is commonly eaten to break the daily fast. Its defining technique, frying the pastry just until the egg inside reaches a soft, still-runny consistency without fully hardening, requires precise timing and is considered essential to a properly made brik, with the pastry’s delicate, paper-thin malsouka dough demanding careful handling. Brik remains one of the most internationally recognized dishes of Tunisian cuisine, closely tied to Ramadan tradition specifically.

How long does Brik take to make?

Brik takes 25 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Brik?

Yes, within limits. Filo pastry can be used in a double layer, brushed with oil between the sheets – it shatters more and browns faster, so drop the temperature slightly. Spring roll wrappers are a common workaround abroad; they are chewier but hold the egg well.

What is the most important thing to get right in Brik?

Turn once and fry a further 45 seconds. It is ready when the pastry is blistered and crisp and the white has just set – the yolk must still be liquid.