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Tunisian · Maghrebi

Brik à l'oeuf

Non-vegetarian

Brik à l'œuf

A crisp, golden pastry triangle filled with tuna, potato, capers and parsley around a whole egg whose yolk stays runny. Tunisia's favourite starter, eaten in the hand.

Brik à l'oeuf is a Tunisian starter, ready in about 35 minutes and made with filo pastry, egg and canned tuna. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
320

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the tuna, mashed potato (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), parsley (opens in a new tab), capers (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

    • 5 min

  2. Step 2

    Heat 1.5 cm of oil in a wide frying pan to 175 °C.

    Food safety: Keep children away from hot oil and never leave it unattended.

  3. Step 3

    Lay two phyllo (opens in a new tab) sheets on top of each other and fold into a square about 20 cm across. Spoon a quarter of the filling on one half, make a hollow and crack an egg (opens in a new tab) into it.

    • 2 min

  4. Step 4

    Quickly fold the pastry over into a triangle, press the edges, and slide straight into the hot oil. Fry, spooning oil over the top, then flip once, until golden and crisp — about 1–2 minutes per side.

    • 3 min
    • 175°C

    Work one brik at a time; the egg makes the pastry soggy if it waits.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Drain on paper and serve immediately with lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges. Repeat with the rest.

      Food safety: The yolk is meant to be runny; fry longer for a set yolk for young children, pregnant people or anyone vulnerable.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Tunisia · Well documentedAlso popular in AlgeriaMore food from Tunisia
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Appetizers & starters · Street food · Finger food
    Cooking method
    Shallow-fried
    Taste
    savoury, salty, rich
    Diet
    Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Street food
    Cook more with
    Filo pastry · Egg · Canned tuna · Potato · Onion · Parsley
    Techniques
    Shallow-frying

    Allergens

    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Fishfrom canned tuna
    • Contains: Wheatfrom filo pastry
    • Contains: Glutenfrom filo pastry

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    320 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 188 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 20%
    • Carbohydrate 38%
    • Fat 42%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy320 kcal170 kcal
    Protein16.1 g8.5 g
    Carbohydrate30.1 g16 g
    Net carbohydrate28 g14.9 g
    Sugars1 g0.5 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre2.1 g1.1 g
    Fat14.9 g7.9 g
    Saturated fat2.8 g1.5 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol197 mg105 mg
    Sodium675 mg359 mg
    Salt equivalent1.7 g0.9 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    390 mg
    Calcium
    50 mg
    Iron
    3.2 mg
    Magnesium
    33 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    96 µg
    Vitamin C
    14 mg
    Vitamin D
    1.4 µg
    Vitamin B12
    1.2 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    90 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: lemon.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Have the oil hot and the pastry ready before you crack the egg — speed is what keeps the brik crisp.

    Common mistakes

    • Assembling all the briks before frying — the egg soaks through the pastry.

    Serve with

    • Serve as a starter before chorba or couscous.

    Storage

    • Eat immediately; does not keep.

    Variations

    • Brik with meat: Filled with spiced minced beef or chicken instead of tuna.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 3

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 15 min

      Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

    2. Bake · about 15 min

      Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

    3. Start to finish: about 30 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    If something goes wrong

    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
    • Crust too hard or thick

      Likely causes

      • Baked too long at too low a temperature
      • No steam at the start

      What to do

      • Bake hotter for a shorter time
      • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
      • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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