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Seafood pastilla
Pastilla au poisson: Tetouan's crisp pie of prawns, white fish, vermicelli and chermoula
The sweet pigeon pastilla belongs to Fez; along the northern coast, from Tetouan to Tangier and down to the Atlantic towns, the savoury seafood version is what turns up at weddings and Ramadan dinners. Thin warqa pastry wraps a filling of prawns, white fish and squid, rice vermicelli and plenty of chermoula, the lemony herb, garlic, cumin and paprika marinade, and the pie is baked until it shatters at the touch. Inside it is juicy, tangy and a little spicy. Serve it hot, cut into wedges, with a green salad. Filo works if you cannot find warqa or brick pastry. Chef's tip: drain the cooked filling in a sieve for 10 minutes before you fill the pie; wet filling is what makes a soggy base.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the chermoula
For the filling
For the pastry
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (9)
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Mix 1 bunch fresh coriander, 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, 5 garlic cloves, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp hot paprika or chilli flakes, 1 lemon, 1 tbsp preserved lemon peel, ¼ cup olive oil and 1 ½ tsp salt into a loose chermoula.
Step 2: Toss 14 oz skinless white fish fillets, 10 ½ oz raw peeled prawns and 7 oz cleaned squid with half the chermoula, cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes, never on the counter.
30 minStep 3: Soak 3 ½ oz rice vermicelli in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, then snip into 5 cm lengths with scissors.
5 minStep 4: Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the rest of the chermoula, 1 tomato and 5 ½ oz button mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms soften.
5 minStep 5: Add the marinated seafood and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes, until the prawns turn pink and the fish is opaque and just flakes. Stir in the vermicelli.
5 minStep 6: Tip the filling into a sieve and let it drain and cool for 10 minutes. Taste: it should be punchy, as the pastry mutes it.
10 minStep 7: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F). Brush a 26 cm ovenproof frying pan or round tin with 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil. Lay 6 sheets of 10 warqa, brick or filo pastry sheets overlapping in a flower pattern so they cover the base and hang well over the edge, brushing each with oil.
Step 8: Spread the filling in an even layer, fold 2 more brushed sheets over the middle, then fold the overhanging pastry in towards the centre.
Step 9: Cover with the last 2 sheets, tuck the edges underneath like a bed sheet and seal any gaps with 1 egg yolk. Brush the top with the rest of 3 ½ tbsp vegetable oil.
Step 10: Bake for 25–30 minutes, until deep golden and crisp all over. The common mistake is taking it out when pale; the base should be just as crisp, so check by lifting an edge with a palette knife.
28 minStep 11: Rest for 5 minutes, slide onto a board and cut into wedges.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does seafood pastilla take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fresh coriander?
- Flat-leaf parsley with a little mint (for people who dislike coriander too).
- What can I use instead of flat-leaf parsley?
- Curly parsley or coriander, same amount.
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