Cooking in
British Columbia
Levantine
Brik
Brik is Tunisia's most iconic street food and restaurant first course: an ultra-thin pastry (malsouka) triangle or half-moon containing a whole raw egg, tuna (or potato), capers, and parsley, fried in hot oil just until the pastry is golden and shatteringly crisp while the yolk remains molten. The technical feat is the combination of a set white with a completely runny yolk enclosed in a crisp pastry that is not oily — this requires precise oil temperature (175°C) and timing (90 seconds each side maximum). The pastry must shatter on the first bite to release the egg yolk, creating the characteristic 'brik moment' that is both a sensory and social event at the table.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
4 sheets
malsouka (Tunisian ultra-thin pastry)
not spring roll wrappers or filo
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
eggs
raw, whole; cracked individually into a small cup before assembly
Your own market
For the filling
160 g
tuna in oil
well drained and patted dry
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
capers
rinsed and patted thoroughly dry
15 g
flat-leaf parsley
finely chopped
Your own market
For frying
1 litre
neutral frying oil
sufficient depth to submerge the brik edge
To serve
2
lemons
cut into wedges
Your own market
60 g
harissa
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Drain the tuna completely, then press it between sheets of kitchen paper until no moisture remains, so that any residual liquid cannot turn to steam in the hot oil and blow the seam of the pastry open. Combine the tuna, capers, and parsley in a bowl and mix briefly. The filling must be entirely dry — press once more with paper if in any doubt, and no liquid should be visible in the bowl.
2
Heat the oil in a wide, deep frying pan to exactly 175°C, using a probe thermometer, because at 170°C the pastry will not crisp and at 180°C the white sets before the pastry is done. Hold the temperature precisely before proceeding.
3
Lay one sheet of malsouka flat and place a quarter of the filling slightly off-centre toward one edge, leaving a clear margin. Make a shallow well in the filling and slide one raw egg from a cup into the well, then fold the pastry over to form a half-moon, pressing the edge firmly to seal so the egg cannot find a gap when it meets the oil.
4
This is where the dish lives or dies: lower the brik into the oil immediately, because the egg is raw and the clock has started the moment the yolk settled into the well. Tilt the pan to a 20-degree angle so the sealed edge submerges first and the pastry sets against the oil before the egg can escape. Fry for 90 seconds on the first side until the pastry turns an even amber-gold and blisters at the surface.
5
Turn the brik carefully and fry for a further 90 seconds on the second side. Lift it out with a slotted spatula and hold it briefly over the pan so excess oil falls back, then drain on a rack rather than on paper so that circulating air keeps the base as crisp as the top. The pastry must feel rigid and shatteringly crisp to a light tap; it must not feel soft or flex.
6
Serve within two minutes of leaving the oil, with lemon wedges and harissa alongside. The brik must shatter on the first bite, releasing the molten yolk; if it bends rather than shatters, the window of perfection has passed.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Malsouka made to order by a Tunisian pastry specialist; hand-line-caught tuna in first-press olive oil; salt-packed capers from Pantelleria, rinsed; free-range eggs with deep orange yolks.
02
Estate — Malsouka from a North African grocer (fresh, pliable, not dried at the edges); good-quality tuna in olive oil; brined capers well drained; fresh free-range eggs.
03
Market — Malsouka from a specialist online supplier; tuna in sunflower oil, thoroughly dried; standard brined capers; fresh supermarket eggs.
04
House — Warqa as the closest acceptable substitute for malsouka — spring roll wrappers and filo are not acceptable substitutes, as both require longer frying times that overcook the egg.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The pastry surface blisters and turns an even amber-gold within 90 seconds; any paler and the oil is too cool.
◇Touch. The finished brik feels rigid and offers audible resistance when tapped lightly — it does not flex or yield.
◇Sound. The first bite produces a clean shattering crack; a soft give indicates the pastry has softened beyond recovery.
◇Smell. The oil smells of hot, clean fat and toasted pastry throughout frying — any eggy or steaming smell indicates the seal has failed and the egg is leaking.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the oil: the oil must hold exactly 175°C, the brik must enter it the moment it is sealed, and it must not cook for more than 90 seconds per side — outside these margins, either the yolk sets or the pastry remains soft, and the dish ceases to exist.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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The working kitchen
Sourced through Provenance