African Fish Rolls (Fish Pies)
African fish rolls (fish pies) are a popular West African street food, specifically in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ghana. The flaky shortcrust pastry envelopes sardines and spices for a crunchy, slightly sweet, spicy, and oh so good treat!!!
Over the years, I have tried several times to make my comfort food, African fish pies or fish rolls, as they’re commonly called in Cameroon. However, I was highly disappointed in the results. Then, one of my aunts said casually, “Well, it’s just puff-puff dough with butter and sardines.” It hit me, “Duh! That’s it!” I decided to try my hand again at this recipe, and after several disastrous results, I came up with one I’m proud to share.
In Cameroon, we roll them up, while in other countries, they make them like meat pies or empanadas. Even though I deep-fried these tasty snacks, you sure can bake them for a healthier version. The baked ones will taste slightly different from the deep-fried version. Why are fried foods so much tastier?
Why Fish Rolls Are Popular in Africa
It is really all the rage for adults and kids, who rush out of school in an attempt to get a fish pie from the ladies selling them at the school entrance. Honestly, buying them from the street vendors is a whole lot easier than making them at home.
While some look down on them because it’s a “poor man’s” snack (meat pies are the “rich man’s version), Africans living abroad classify it as a “MUST-EAT” at parties. It literally flies off the table at every gathering I’ve made them for.
This version of fish pie takes advantage of the convenience of canned sardines in tomato chilli sauce. Slowly simmered with onions and a little bit of curry until all the liquid has evaporated. Then the mixture is folded into the pastry and deep-fried until golden brown.
It can be somewhat tedious, but it’s so worth it at the end. Do make it!!!
How to Make African Fish Rolls
- Simmer the sardines in about half of the tomato sauce. Then add the onions and curry powder, and simmer it for 10-15 minutes. (Photo 1)
- Add the parsley, stir, and simmer for about 2 more minutes. Set aside and let it cool. (Photo 2)
- Activate the yeast, mix the flour, sugar, and salt, then add the butter, and mix well until the ingredients are fully incorporated. (Photos 3-4)
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and knead until smooth. Cover and let it rise. (Photos 5-7)
- Divide the dough into pieces of 1-2 ounces each. You should have 25-35 pieces, depending on the weight.
- Roll out each piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface until 1-2″ wide and 3-4″ long. (Photo 8)
- Fill – Place a teaspoon of the fish mixture at one end and roll it up. Repeat the process until all the filling and dough have been used up. (Photos 9-11)
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet with ½ inch oil over medium-high heat until hot (375℉/190℃) but not smoking.
- Fry the fish rolls in batches, turning once, until golden brown. (Photo 12)
- Serve – Remove the fish pies from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Some people don’t like sweet dough with a savory filling, so feel free to leave the sugar out of the dough.
- You can totally cook these in an air fryer. Just spritz them with a little oil and fry them at 350-400°F (175-200°C) for 10- 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
These snacks are best fresh from the stove, but you can make them ahead and keep them in the fridge for a day or freezer for 2-3 months until ready to fry.
Reheat leftovers in an air fryer to get the crisp back.
More Soul-Satisfying Street Food Recipes
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”57eLyNuh” upload-date=”Tue Aug 07 2018 11:48:32 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”African Fish Roll (Fish pie)” description=”African Fish Roll (Fish pie) — a popular West African street food – specifically in Cameroon,Nigeria and Ghana that is made with some sort of shortcut pastry filled with sardines and spices. These fried fish pies are crunchy, slightly sweet, spicy and oh so good!!”] >
This blog post was originally published in June 2013 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
African Fish Rolls (Fish Pies)
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 15-ounce can sardines in chili tomato sauce (mackerel works, too)
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon (1g) parsley
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) curry powder
Dough
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (266ml) water
- 1¼ teaspoon (4-5g) yeast
- 2½ tablespoons (30g) sugar
- ½ tablespoon (9g) salt
- 4 cups (480-500g) all-purpose flour
- 5 ounces (142g) unsalted butter or margarine
Instructions
- Drain half of the tomato sauce from the sardines and place the other half with the sardines in a medium saucepan. Then add the onions and curry powder and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add the parsley, stir, and simmer for about 2 more minutes. Set aside and let it cool.
- In a large bowl, mix the warm water and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes while the yeast activates.
- Using a stand mixer (or by hand), mix the flour, sugar, and salt, then add the butter, and mix well until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix for about a minute. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.
- Cover and let it sit for 30-45 minutes or until it rises.
- Divide the dough into pieces of 1-2 ounces each. You should have 25-35 pieces, depending on the weight.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough with a rolling pin until 1-2" wide and 3-4" long.
- Then place a teaspoon of the fish mixture at one end and roll it up. Repeat the process until all the filling and dough have been used up. Set the fish pies aside.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet with ½ inch oil over medium-high heat until hot (375℉/190℃) but not smoking.
- Gently add the fish rolls to the hot oil and fry in batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Avoid overcrowding the pan so it doesn't absorb excess oil and make greasy fish pies.
- Remove the fish pies from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips & Notes:
- Canned tuna, salmon, herring, etc., can substitute for the sardines. You could even use cooked oyster mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Great recipe
I didn’t use the recipe for filling but the dough is amazing
Awesome! Thank you for trying this recipe out!
Is it 174 calories per roll or all together?
Per roll .
Hi Ima
In the video you use bouillon and ginger but I don’t see it listed in the ingredients. How much do I add of each?
Hello,
1/2 teaspoon and about 1 teaspoon bouillon powder. Hope this helps
Thanks for the recipe. I had to use more flour to get the right dough. Maybe my measurements were off but it come out good.
Awesome! I am glad you were able to figure out how to work your dough. Thanks for stopping by :).
Wow, Ima you are the best,
Thanks am inspired by your detailed teaching.
Am going to try it out.
The Lord bless you
Thank you :)! Do let me know how it turns out for you. Happy cooking!
wow , amazing recipe. I have a question though, I used margarine once to make meat pie dough . I fried it and it didn’t taste good at all! It tasted like it was too buttery, oilyand the dough was too crispy. Do u think it’s cuz I might have put too much margarine,? I’m afraid of trying it with this recipe because of what happened last time
Please my pie always opens when placed in the oil,what should I do?
I can’t say for sure without actually being . Your best bet would be to seal it with flour paste, like in the video
Crack an egg, beat it, then seal the fish roll with it.. it helps! Also fry it on medium to low heat. If the oil is too hot, it will open
Thanks…what difference will it make if i use vegetables oil instead of butter, secondly, can I only yeast or yeast plus baking powder….thanks…I wish to start a fish pie business
Hi Eva,
Butter is much flavorful than oil. You can use yeast or baking powder or both you would have to play with the the dough to get the correct amount for the pie dough.
Thanks so much for the teachings, God richly bless you in fact i just fell in love with it and trust me, am going to practice it and bring you updates. Please can you from your contact so that in case of anything I get in touch with you?….Please
Your recipes are really wonderful. thanks for the good work
I would like to see more African recipes
You too much dear i love your baking
Thank you!
I love this food are there some more
Hello,
Stumbled upon your recipe and I’m excited to try it out. I have a problem with how I make my dough though. Whenever I make dough for meat pie or fish pie, it always comes out strong. What are some tips I can use to make my dough very soft when fried or baked?
Thanks
Hi Etienna,
Have you tried this recipe? it comes out really tender.
Thanks a lot for this piece, it makes learning a lot much easier.
A quick question
is it necessary to fry, can I also bake the fish pie in an oven?
Yes, you may bake it in the oven.
Quick question, can l bake it instead of frying? If so for how long and what temperature?
Can’t wait to try this, yum!!
Hello,please how many days long will it take a well fried fish roll to go bad at room temperature ?
It’s best eaten within 24 hours . You may refrigerate or freeze and reheat before serving.
Please help needed ASAP. I removed the roll from the freezer, it’s been 2 .5 hrs now. When I try to fry it, it forms little bubbles on the pie . Do you know what the problem might be and how to fix it. Thank u so much in advance
A little too late , been out all day. I think 2.5 was a bit much . I would let it refrigerate again before frying .
No problem , thank you. I did refrigerate again and it got better.
How many gram is a cup for this recipe. I have been guessing all along even though it worked out. Because I noticed our cup sizes are different. The reason given measurements in grams is ideal.
Just realized recipe was updated to grams also. Thanks
Hi hope you are doing great.
I just want to find out if I can roll out the dough, keep in the fridge and fry the next day. Will that work out. Thanks a lot
Yes, it would work. I make large quantities and then freeze. When am ready to fry, remove from the freezer , let it sit outside for a couple of hours before frying . Hope this helps
Thanks for the quick reply. I don’t want to freeze. I just want to refrigerate and fry the next day. How long should I leave at room temperature before frying?
About an hour , also frying without bringing to room temperature works as well. If the dough has not been frozen.
Thank you!
Thanks I was able to do the chin chin with the recipe you gave it came out well.
Great! Thanks for the feedback!
I will try this for sure, in my country we call that pilipili.. thanks for everything.
I try the puf puff and it was so good.