Tunisian Brik au Thon (Potato, Tuna, and Egg Stuffed Phyllo)
Brik is a crispy savory pastry from Tunisia. In this Brik au Thon (brik with tuna) recipe, store-bought filo dough is stuffed with creamy mashed potatoes, fresh parsley, egg, briny tuna, and capers. It's pan-friend until the egg is perfectly runny and the dough is deliciously crispy. Serve as an appetizer, a quick and satisfying lunch, or for a Mediterranean-style breakfast.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound yellow potatoes, peeled and quartered
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for frying (or use a neutral vegetable oil)
- Black pepper
- 1 cup finely chopped flat parsley leaves
- 8 sheets filo dough, defrosted
- 1 (5-ounce) can oil-packed tuna, drained and flaked
- 1/2 cup capers, drained and rinsed
- 4 eggs
- 1 Lemon, cut into wedges for serving
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Boil until they are fork-tender, about 15 minutes, then drain.
- Prepare the potato filling. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Mash them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped parsley. It will feel like too much parsley but trust me, this is what makes or breaks the flavor. Let the mixture cool off a bit before using it.
- Prepare the remaining filling ingredients. Set up individual prep bowls to make it easier to work quickly: one for tuna, another for capers.
- Get ready. Line a large plate with paper towels. In a large, non-stick pan, pour in 1/2 cup olive oil and set on medium heat.
- Start the fold. Ensure your hands are dry anytime you work with filo pastry. Place 2 sheets of filo on top of each other on a plate or a marble slab. Fold them in half, then roll two sides towards the center to get an approximate square shape for the base.
- Add the mashed potato. Place 1/4 of the potato filling in one corner of the prepared pastry square, making sure enough of a bare edge is left around it. Spread it in an even layer without covering more than half of the square.
- Add the remaining filling. Create a bit of an egg shaped well in the filling. Crack one of the eggs into a small bowl, then slide it into the well. Sprinkle tuna and capers over top to taste.
- Fold and seal. Moisten the edge of the dough using your finger and a bit of water. Carefully fold the empty side over the filling to form the typical triangle shape. Light pressure along the sides will be sufficient to bind the sides together so that the filling doesn’t escape when frying.
- Fry the brik. Now slide the whole Brik into the hot oil and quickly fry until just golden, turning once. If you are trying to achieve that nice, runny egg yolk, pay a lot of attention to your timing as it only takes about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Finish and serve. Immediately transfer the Brik to the towel-lined plate to dry off the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, cracking the egg into the bowl each time. Enjoy the brik with a nice squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of capers and chopped parsley.
Notes
- Defrost the filo completely in your fridge without opening it. It should take no more than about 5 hours. Unwrapping it too soon will put it at risk of it drying out and breaking.
- The tricky part is that to make the most authentic Brik, the egg white should be cooked through and the egg yolk runny, so definitely try to aim for that. But don’t beat yourself up too much if you happen to cook it through a bit more (or you may even prefer to) - they will still be plenty juicy with the delicious filling, especially if you use the good quality olive oil packed tuna.
- Serve this crunchy, succulent delicacy with a nice side of Slata Tounsiya or just a simple green salad and a few slices of fresh baguette to make it a balanced meal.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
Calories: 334.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.2g | Protein: 16.5g | Fat: 15.6g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.6g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 167.5mg | Sodium: 952.1mg | Potassium: 463.5mg | Fiber: 3.2g | Sugar: 0.9g | Vitamin A: 1548.9IU | Vitamin C: 32.1mg | Calcium: 67.9mg | Iron: 4.1mg
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