Pastels — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Crispy half-moon pastries filled with seasoned fish, onions, and parsley, deep-fried until shatteringly golden. These addictive Mauritanian street snacks are the most popular quick bite in Nouakchott.

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 egg
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp vegetable oil for dough
1 tsp salt
400g cooked fish, flaked
1 onion, finely diced
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1 Make dough by mixing flour, egg, salt, oil, and water. Knead until smooth and elastic. Rest for 20 minutes.
2 Combine flaked fish with diced onion, parsley, cumin, cayenne, lemon juice, and salt.
3 Roll dough thin and cut into 10cm circles. Place a spoonful of fish filling on each circle.
4 Fold into half-moons and seal edges firmly with a fork, pressing tightly to prevent opening during frying.
5 Heat oil to 175C. Fry pastels in batches for 3-4 minutes until deep golden and crispy.
6 Drain on paper towels and serve hot with lime wedges and hot pepper sauce.

Did You Know?

Pastel vendors in Nouakchott set up at every street corner by 4pm, their frying oil perfuming entire neighborhoods.