Fish Roll
Today I will show you how to make a very loved Cameroonian snack. Fish roll is a popular Cameroonian/West African street food and party food that both kids and adults love alike. This Fish Roll recipe is super flavorful and highly addictive. It is made of spiced sardines enveloped in a subtly sweet crust that has a soft interior and crispy exterior. Needless to say, these Fish Rolls are amazing and you need to try them!
As a kid, this was one of those snacks that I looked forward to buying at school during breaks. And that as an adult when I see it at at a party, I almost beeline for them. They are that good! I know in the U.S. sardines have a reputation for being gross but I don’t know what type of sardines y’all have been having. Sardines are very popular in Cameroon. As a matter of fact my fondest memories of nursery school are of me getting little sardine sandwiches and taking naps.
Also the most popular brand back home is Titus. I actually haven’t tried any other brand so I am convinced that anyone who thinks Sardines are gross just hasn’t tried Titus yet. So if you saw “sardines” and started losing interest in the recipe, please don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it! And by it, I mean this recipe with Titus specifically which you can find at almost any African store.
Some Tips
- The dough is fairly easy to work with by hand. But if it feels too dry, feel free to add a few sprinkles of water. Or if it feels too sticky, you can add a little flour.
- Like I mentioned above, I suggest using Titus sardines. They have two options that both work well, a spicy and a non spicy one. But if you don’t want to have to go looking for this specific brand of sardines, you can use any other brand that you like. Just make sure you get the ones in oil and not in water.
- As you make each roll, you want to make sure the roll doesn’t ooze out filling nor unravel when frying. You do this by pinching the sides of your dough as you roll it and by sealing the edge of the roll with water. Refer to the images and video for these steps.
- These are best same day but you can store them in the fridge for up to two weeks. Reheat them in the oven/toasted oven for a few minutes to get that crispy exterior. But you can also reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds if you don’t care for the crispiness.
Fish Roll
Ingredients
The Dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 6 tbsp butter melted
- 3/4 cup water
- Oil for deep frying
The Filling
- 2 cans sardine Titus or similar brand in oil
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic minced or paste
- 1/4 tsp ginger minced or paste
- 1 small bouillon cube about 1 tsp
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- cayenne to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Add in water followed by butter then mix until it forms a ball. Set aside
- Drain out the oil from the sardines and reserve about a tablespoon for cooking. (You can save the oil for other recipes.)
- Pour reserved sardine oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil has heated up a little, stir in your onions and cook until translucent.
- Next add your sardine to the pan and crush it until it resembles a paste.
- Now pour in you tomato sauce followed by your garlic, bouillon cube and parsley. Stir until thoroughly mixed and let cook for 5 to 8 minutes. When cooked, turn the heat off and set it aside.
- For your dough, dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour.
- Pinch some dough and roll it into a ball (a little smaller than a ping pong ball).
- Roll your small dough ball out on the floured surface in a long oval shape. Refer to the image/video above.
- Using a spoon, drop a little of your fish filling at one of the ends of your flattened dough (about 1 to 2 teaspoons).
- Starting at the side with the filling, tuck the filling under the edge of the dough and roll the dough all the way to the other edge pinching the sides so nothing oozes out while frying.
- Once you get to the tip of the other edge, rub a little bit of water on it to seal the dough. Using the palm of your hand, roll it a couple of times on your surface to make sure it is sealed. Refer to the image/video above.
- Repeat these steps until you have finished all your dough or filling.
- Heat a pan with enough oil for deep frying over medium high heat. You can test the heat of the oil by dropping in a little pinch of dough. It is hot when the dough begins to fry.
- Fry the rolls in batches without over-crowding the pan. Turn them occasionally so they cook evenly on all sides.
- When they are golden, place them on a paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Serve them warm and enjoy!
3 Comments
Rebecca+Amin
April 12, 2022 at 10:07 am
Yummy! I didn’t know one could use sardines for this snack.
Jilefack
March 3, 2023 at 12:06 pm
I love the fish roll & brioche recipe, the kids and I make them regularly!
fuajia
March 23, 2023 at 8:44 am
That’s awesome to hear š