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1
Boil and mash the potatoes
10 mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Put 200 g peeled, chunked potatoes in a small pan, cover with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 8 minutes until a knife slides through easily, then drain well and mash smooth with a fork. Spread the mash on a plate for 2 minutes so the steam escapes — wet mash makes a soggy brik.
Mash while the potatoes are hot; cold potatoes go gluey instead of fluffy.
Done when: Completely smooth mash with no lumps, dry enough to hold its shape on a spoon.
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2
Mix the tuna filling
5 mins
Room temperature
In a bowl, combine the mashed potato with 160 g flaked tuna, 80 g finely chopped onion, 30 g chopped parsley, 20 g chopped capers, 16 g harissa, 3 g salt and 1 g black pepper. Mix until evenly combined, then taste — it should be boldly seasoned and a little salty, because the plain pastry and the egg will soften the flavour.
Taste before the egg goes in; you cannot adjust the seasoning once the brik is sealed.
Done when: A thick, well-mixed filling that holds together when spooned.
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3
Fill, crack the egg and fold
5 mins
Room temperature
Lay one pastry sheet flat. Spoon about 2 heaped tablespoons of filling onto one half and press a small well into the centre with the back of the spoon. Crack an egg into a small bowl and slide it gently into the well, keeping the yolk whole. Brush the edge of the sheet with water, fold it over into a half-moon or triangle and press the edges firmly to seal. Repeat for all 8 sheets, working quickly so the pastry does not dry out.
Use only a little of the egg white if the yolk looks large — too much white overflows the seal and leaks into the oil.
Done when: Eight neatly sealed triangles with no filling escaping at the edges.
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4
Fry until crisp and golden
12 mins
Hot oil, about 170°C (340°F)
Heat about 60 ml olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Slide in 4 briks, sealed-side down, and fry for 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden and blistered, turning once with two spatulas so you never pierce the pastry. Lift out, drain briefly, and fry the remaining 4 the same way. The white should be fully set and the yolk still runny inside.
If the pastry browns in under a minute, the oil is too hot and the egg will stay raw; if it takes more than 3 minutes a side, the oil is too cool and the brik turns greasy. For a fully set yolk, fry 1 minute longer per side, until the centre reaches 71°C (160°F).
Done when: Deep golden, crisp and blistered pastry; egg white fully set, yolk runny; no oil pooling on the surface.
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5
Drain, lemon and serve at once
3 mins
Serve hot
Drain the briks on kitchen paper for 1 minute, then move to a plate with the lemon wedges. Squeeze lemon over the top, add a little extra harissa on the side if you like, and serve immediately — a brik waits for no one, and the pastry softens within minutes.
Eat with your fingers, yolk first: bite one corner and let the yolk run, or it will run down your wrist anyway.
Done when: Hot, crisp briks with lemon on the side, served within minutes of frying.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve hot, two briks per person, with lemon wedges and a little harissa on the side. The shell should shatter as you bite in, giving way to the warm, runny yolk and the salty tuna and caper filling.
Tunisia
2h 5m
Spain
Vietnam