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tunisianstarter

Brik Tunisien

Tunisia's iconic crispy fried pastry filled with egg, tuna, capers, and herbs — a street food staple that's perfectly golden outside with a runny yolk inside.

Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
4.8(1,240 ratings)
#pastry#fried#egg#tuna#street food

About This Recipe

Brik is Tunisia's most iconic street food, found on every street corner and served as a starter in restaurants across the country. The crucial skill is achieving a perfectly runny yolk inside the crispy pastry — the egg is cracked raw into the filling and must be cooked just enough to set the white while leaving the yolk liquid.

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 4 sheetsmalsouka (or spring roll pastry)
  • 4 largeeggs
  • 160 gcanned tuna(drained)
  • 2 tbspcapers
  • 1 smallonion(finely chopped)
  • 2 tbspflat-leaf parsley(chopped)
  • 1 tspharissa
  • 500 mlvegetable oil(for frying)
  • 1 tspsalt

Instructions

  1. 1

    Make the filling

    Mix tuna, capers, onion, parsley, harissa, and salt in a bowl.

  2. 2

    Assemble

    Place a sheet of pastry on a flat surface. Put a spoonful of tuna filling in the center. Make a well and crack an egg into it.

  3. 3

    Fold and seal

    Fold the pastry in half to form a half-moon. Press edges firmly to seal.

  4. 4

    Fry

    Heat oil to 180°C. Carefully lower brik into oil and fry 2–3 minutes per side until golden and crisp.

  5. 5

    Serve

    Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Pro Tips

  • Keep the egg yolk runny — it's the whole point

  • Seal the edges very firmly to prevent oil splashing

Variations

  • Fill with potato and egg instead of tuna

  • Add merguez sausage to the filling

  • Bake instead of fry for a lighter version

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Cannot be stored once cooked as the pastry will go soggy.

History & Origin

Brik was brought to Tunisia by Andalusian refugees and has roots in Sephardic Jewish cooking. The malsouka pastry is similar to Moroccan warka.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is malsouka?

Thin North African pastry similar to filo or spring roll wrappers — either works as a substitute.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving · 4 servings total

Calories340kcal
Protein20g
Carbohydrates24g
Fat18g
Fiber1g
Protein20g
Carbs24g
Fat18g

Time Summary

Prep time15 min
Cook time15 min
Total time30 min

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