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Nigerian Fish Roll

Nigerian Fish Roll is the beloved sibling of the Meat Pie in the Nigerian bakery tradition — a slightly thicker, slightly sweeter shortcrust pastry rolled around a well-seasoned canned tuna or mackerel filling into a cylindrical shape and baked until golden. The slight sweetness of the Fish Roll pastry (more sugar is used than in Meat Pie pastry) combined with the savoury, well-spiced fish filling creates a characteristic sweet-savoury combination that is uniquely Nigerian.

Nigerian Fish Roll, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 5 big cups of plain flour
  • A big stick of butter or margarine, softened
  • 2 big big tablespoons of sugar — more than Meat Pie pastry
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 2 big eggs
  • Cold water — as needed to bring dough together
  • 1 egg beaten with milk — for egg wash FOR THE FISH FILLING:
  • 2 big tins of tuna or canned mackerel (Titus), drained
  • 1 medium onion, very finely chopped
  • 2 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), very finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
  • 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • A small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped — optional

Method

  1. 01

    Making the Fish Filling. Drain the canned fish well. Break up any large flakes. In a bowl, combine the drained fish, very finely chopped onion, finely chopped Atarodo, curry powder, crushed seasoning cubes and salt. Mix well. Add chopped parsley if using. Taste and adjust — the filling should be well-seasoned and bold. Allow to cool if the fish was warm from a tin.

  2. 02

    Making the Slightly Sweet Pastry. Sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Add softened butter and rub in with fingertips until crumb-like. Beat the eggs and add. Add cold water gradually until a smooth, pliable dough forms — slightly softer than Meat Pie dough due to the extra butter and sugar. Rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

  3. 03

    Rolling and Filling. Roll out the rested pastry into a large rectangle, the thickness of 2 coins. Cut into smaller rectangles approximately the size of a mobile phone. Place a tablespoon of fish filling along the centre of each rectangle. Fold one long side over the filling, then roll up tightly to form a cylinder. Press the seam firmly to seal. Tuck the ends in and press to seal.

  4. 04

    Egg Washing and Baking. Place seam-side down on a greased baking tray. Brush all over with beaten egg wash. Bake in a hot preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden-brown all over.

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