Bastilat el-Hout; Seafood Bastilla
This Moroccan seafood pastilla recipe layers white fish, prawns and squid with rice vermicelli, mushrooms and a warm chermoula of paprika, cumin, ginger and preserved lemon, then wraps it all in crisp, buttery warqa pastry and bakes it until golden. Unlike the famous chicken pastilla, the seafood version is savoury and spicy rather than sweet, and it is finished with grated cheese and lemon slices instead of sugar and cinnamon. One serving is about 292 g.
Pastilla takes its name from the Spanish word pastilla, meaning a small pie, and it reached Morocco with the Andalusian exiles who settled in Fes after 1492, bringing a taste for sweet-savoury pastry with almonds and cinnamon. The classic Fes pie is filled with pigeon or chicken, egg and almonds, and dusted with sugar and cinnamon. The seafood version is a twentieth-century coastal idea, popular in Casablanca and Essaouira, where the catch is the point: it is savoury and spicy rather than sweet, filled with fish, prawns and squid in chermoula with vermicelli, and finished with grated cheese and lemon slices instead of sugar. It is served as a starter at weddings and celebrations, and as a main dish at home.
Pairs well with: A sharp green salad and mint tea
Provenance
Morocco
Coastal Moroccan Classic
Middle Eastern
Time Dedication
1h 15m
30m prep • 45m cook
Batch Yield
6 Servings
516 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 292 g
Technical Skill
Advanced
Advanced (Layered Pastry)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Hearty Midday Main
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Coastal Moroccan Classic
Photo: Vassia Atanassova - Spiritia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Medium — about $5–6 per serving at home (USD)
Good seafood pastilla shatters when you cut it — crisp, buttery layers outside, a hot, juicy, well-spiced seafood filling inside.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Make the Chermoula and Prep the Seafood
30 Mins • Bowls and Knife
Cut the fish into chunks, peel the prawns and slice the squid. Mix the paprika, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, lemon juice and zest, preserved lemon, garlic and half the herbs into a chermoula paste. Soak the vermicelli in hot water for 5 minutes, drain and snip short. Melt the butter and keep the pastry sheets under a damp cloth.
Maestro Tip: Keep the pastry covered the whole time — a dry sheet cracks the moment you fold it.
10 Mins Medium-high heat, ~180°C (350°F)
Heat half the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes until soft, then add the chermoula paste and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the fish, prawns and squid and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring gently, until the prawns are pink, the fish flakes and the squid is just opaque. The fish must reach 63°C (145°F).
Do not overcook the squid — it turns rubbery in a minute, so take the pan off the heat as soon as it turns opaque.
Done when: The prawns are pink, the fish flakes easily, the squid rings are opaque, and the pan smells warmly spiced.
5 Mins Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Stir the drained vermicelli and the remaining herbs into the seafood, then cook for 2 minutes more so the noodles absorb the juices. Taste and add salt only if needed — the preserved lemon is salty. Set the filling aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Let the filling cool before assembling — hot filling steams the pastry from inside and makes it soggy.
Done when: The filling is moist but not wet, the noodles are coated in sauce, and no liquid pools in the pan.
15 Mins Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Brush a round 28 cm (11 inch) pie dish or ovenproof pan generously with melted butter. Lay 6 pastry sheets across the dish, brushing each with butter and letting the edges overhang. Spoon in the filling and spread it evenly, then fold the overhanging edges over the top. Lay the remaining 6 sheets on top, brushing each with butter and tucking the edges underneath, then brush the whole top generously with butter.
Brush every sheet — the butter is what separates the layers and makes them shatter when you cut the pie.
Done when: The pie is fully enclosed, the top is smooth and well buttered, and no filling shows through.
30 Mins 180°C (350°F)
Bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and crisp all over. If the top colours too fast, cover it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Listen for the pastry — it should sound dry and crisp when you tap it, not soft or damp.
Done when: The top is deep golden and crisp, the edges are browned, and the pastry sounds hollow when tapped.
5 Mins Serve warm, ~60°C (140°F)
Rest the pastilla for 5 minutes, then slide it onto a serving plate. Scatter the grated cheese over the top and arrange lemon slices on it. Cut into wedges with a sharp knife and serve warm.
Resting lets the filling set so the wedges hold their shape when you cut them.
Done when: The pie holds its shape when sliced, the pastry shatters at the cut, and the filling is hot and fragrant.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the pastilla warm, in wedges, with lemon to squeeze over each piece — the crisp pastry against the spiced, juicy seafood filling is the whole point of the dish.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
516
kcal / serving
Protein
36g
Complete AA
Carbs
49g
Complex
Fats
20g
Healthy
| Energy | 516 kcal |
| Protein | 36 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Fibre | 3.0 g |
| Sugar | 2.6 g |
| Sodium | 721 mg |
| Energy | 177 kcal |
| Protein | 12.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16.9 g |
| Fat | 6.8 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
| Sugar | 0.9 g |
| Sodium | 247 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin B12 and selenium (fish, prawns), vitamin C (lemon, parsley), iron (squid).
About 36 g of Protein per Serving
Fish, prawns and squid together give about 36 g of protein per serving, so a single wedge is a genuinely filling dinner.
Herbs and Spices, Not Cream
The flavour comes from chermoula — parsley, coriander, paprika, cumin and preserved lemon — rather than cream or cheese, so the pie stays light for a pastry dish.
Oily-Fish Nutrients from the Sea
The mixed seafood brings vitamin B12, selenium and iodine, nutrients that are hard to get from land-based dinners.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Vegetables
Green Salad with Lemon Dressing
Something sharp and fresh cuts through the buttery pastry — a simple lettuce and herb salad with lemon and olive oil is the classic counterpoint.
Drinks
Mint Tea
Hot, sweet mint tea is the Moroccan table's answer to a rich pie — it cleanses the palate and is how the dish is most often finished at home.
Sides
Crusty Bread
Bread is for the juices that escape when you cut the pie — a crusty loaf lets nobody waste a drop of the chermoula.
Full Menus
As the Starter of a Moroccan Feast
In Morocco a pastilla often opens a celebration meal — serve it first, in small wedges, before a tagine and couscous.
Complete menu
Serve seafood pastilla first in wedges with green salad and mint tea, followed by a tagine and couscous.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Undercooked or Reheated Seafood
Fish must reach 63°C (145°F) and prawns must be fully pink and opaque; leftover pastilla should be reheated until hot through, reaching 74°C (165°F), and eaten the same day. This is general guidance, not medical advice.
Assembling with a Hot Filling
A hot filling steams the pastry from the inside and the base goes soggy — always cool the filling for 10 minutes before you layer it.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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