These traditional Tunisian briks with tuna are a very important part of Tunisian cuisine. Super tasty and actually quite fun to make. Surprise your friends, guests, and family with these Tunisian crispy pastries, and I am sure they will love it! Use this traditional Tunisian brik with tuna recipe to create your own briks, that might you know from your Tunisian vacations.
What is traditional Tunisian Brik?
One of the most traditional dishes in Tunisia is brik/ brick. It’s a very essential part of Tunisian cuisine, it’s a typical dish to make at home and also sold at fast-food restaurants. Tunisian Brik is a crispy deep-fried pastry filled with a savory filling. The base of the filling is usually: potato, onion, parsley, cheese, and egg. And additional fillings are tuna, turkey, ricotta, and minced beef. Briks are often shaped in half circles, triangles, or cigars.
Traditional Tunisian brik dough
Tunisian briks are made of dough sheets called malsouka. Tunisian malsoukas are very thin sheets of dough, similar to filo and spring roll pastry. It’s made of semolina, flour, vegetable oil, salt, and water. A very thin layer of dough is cooked on the pan, and it becomes light and almost transparent. In Tunisia, you can buy malsouka sheets from almost every grocery store. It’s a great idea to buy a couple of packages with you as they are well preserved.
Outside Tunisia finding malsouka sheets is more challenging. You can look for malsouka sheets from ethnic grocery stores or order online. I have noticed that during Ramadan finding brick sheets from the ethnic stores is much easier than on normal weekdays. But I guess this varies between the countries. If you can’t find malsouka, you can always make your own. Internet is full of great recipes for this. In case making your own malsouka isn’t the option. Substitute malsouka with filo or spring roll pastry. The outcome isn’t exactly the same but it works.
Cooking methods for traditional Tunisian brik
The most traditional way to cook brik is deep-frying in oil. The best oils for deep frying are canola and sunflower. Also, avocado oil works very well, but it’s pretty expensive. Never use olive oil, coconut oil, or flaxseed oil!
To fry the briks, fill a pot (the size of the pot depends on what size are the briks) with oil about 4cm deep. Heat the oil and gently place the briks into oil, one at a time. Don’t try to fry too many briks at the same time. Gently roll briks in the oil, so that they cook evenly. Cooked briks should be crispy and golden brown. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
The healthier option to cook brik is baking in the oven. Place the prepared briks on the baking tray and cook in the oven (180 degrees) for 10- 15 minutes. I have noticed that air fryers are becoming more popular all the time. I don’t own an air fryer but I am sure it’s a great option to cook a little bit healthier briks.
Different kinds of briks
The briks vary in shape, cooking method, and fillings. As mention above the most traditional shapes is a triangle, half-circle, and cigar. The most common cooking method is deep-frying in oil. The filling can include tuna, ricotta, egg, turkey, or minced meat. Besides all of these, there are a couple of versions of briks.
Fingers of Fatima or Les doigts de Fatma are briks that are shaped in cigars. The filling varies, it can be just with spiced minced beef or potato-tuna mixture or anything else. So, if you see this name in the restaurant’s menu, now you know what you will get.
One of the most traditional brik is triangle shaped. Filled with potato, cheese, parsley, onion, and one cracked egg. The brik will be deep-fried as long as the brik is cooked, but the egg yolk is still runny.
Traditional Brik Danouni is made of semolina-flour dough that is much thicker than malsouka sheets. Brik Danounis are filled in a similar way as traditional briks. You can bake them in the oven or deep-fry. Brik Danouni appears a lot like Spanish and Latin American Empanadas.
What to serve with Tunisian Brik?
Traditionally Tunisian briks are served with lemon or lime wedges and chopped parsley. Squeeze the juice over the briks and serve immediately. You can serve briks as a snack or appetizer. You can also serve briks as a part of the dinner or lunch. A great lunch could be for example Tunisian salad and briks and a little heavier dinner could be cooked fish or meat with fresh salad and briks.
Briks are very popular in Tunisian cuisine, but their popularity increases explosively during Ramadan. During Ramadan, every Tunisian household makes every day at least these three dishes: slata mechouia (grilled pepper salad, chorba (tomato-based soup), and briks. I must say that it’s a very great “menu” and you really should try it!
After meal drink: Tunisian Lemonade
Traditional Tunisian brik with tuna Recipe
Servings: 10 briks half circle/triangle-shaped or 20 cigar-shaped
Total preparation time: 1 hour
Traditional Tunisian brik with tuna ingredients
10 sheets of malsouka/ brik pastry
1 large potato, peeled and boiled
2 eggs, one cooked and one raw
3 tbsp tuna, chunks
1 dl grated cheese
½ small white onion, chopped finely
4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped finely
½ tbsp capers
Pinch of salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Optional garnish: lemon or lime wedges and chopped parsley
NB! If you want to make briks with a runny egg, then you need one egg per brik.
How to make Tunisian Brik with tuna
How to make Traditional Tunisian brik tuna filling:
- Peel the potato and boil it until cooked. Let it cool down, and then smash it.
- Add chopped onion and parsley, cooked egg, tuna, grated cheese, and capers into the mashed potato and mix thoroughly. Add one egg (raw) into the mixture and mix again (egg will bind ingredients together)
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper into the mixture
How to shape Traditional Tunisian briks with tuna:
Cigar-shaped briks:
- Cut malsouka/brik sheets in half.
- Add one big spoon of filling on the bottom part of the brik sheet and roll. (You can fold the rounded side of the sheet slightly inside when rolling, that’s how the other side of the brik is closed)
Triangle shaped briks:
- Take a round malsouka sheet and fold every 4 sides inside a little bit and create somehow square.
- Fold squared malsouka in half and now you have a triangle-shaped malsouka.
- Add one big spoon of filling inside the triangle and close it.
Half-circle shaped briks:
- On the round malsouka sheet, place a couple of spoons of filling and fold in half.
- If you want to try brik with a runny egg: place the filling on the malsouka sheet and try to create borders for the egg. Then crack the egg inside these created borders and fold the malsouka in half.
Frying Traditional Tunisian briks with tuna:
- Fill a pot with vegetable oil about 4cm deep. Heat the oil and gently place the briks into the oil one at a time. (Don’t fry too many briks at the same time)
- Roll or turn around briks in the oil, so that they cook evenly. About 2-4 minutes.
- Cooked briks are crispy and golden brown.
- Drain the cooked briks and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
Garnishing and serving Traditional Tunisian briks with tuna:
- Garnish briks with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.
- Squeeze some lemon juice on the top of the briks and serve immediately.
