black pepper • carrot • cayenne pepper or red pepper • chile pepper • egg • fish • flour (wheat flour) • garlic • oil • onion • parsley • salt • sweet green pepper (bell pepper) • tomato • tomato paste • yeast (baker's yeast) • Western Africa • Senegal
Pastels aux Poisson
Pastels aux Poisson (Pastels, Beignets de Poisson, or Fish pies) are fish turnovers, i.e., crusts of pastry with fish stuffing. Pastels are usually fried, but can also be baked. They are usually served with a spicy tomato sauce. The West African Pastel is similar to the empanada of the Hispanic world, and the samosa of India, even the Chinese wonton, Italian ravioli, and Polish pierogi (though the later are likely to be cooked in boiling water instead of hot oil).
Pastels aux Poisson Recipe
Pastry crusts with fish stuffing.
Ingredients
Pastry
3 cups all-purpose white (wheat) flour
3 three eggs, lightly beaten — or — a 1/4 ounce envelope of active dry yeast (baker's yeast), mixed with a spoonful of warm water
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp cooking oil
Stuffing
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 lbs fish (mackerel, mullet, tuna, grouper, etc.), filleted, skin and bones removed
1 onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 carrot, finely chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1 bunch of parsley, chopped (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper (to taste)
Sauce
2 tomatoes, skin removed and chopped
1 sweet green pepper (bell pepper), finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup cooking oil
2 garlic clove, minced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1 bunch chopped parsley, chopped (save some for garnish)
1 chile pepper, cleaned and finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups water
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper (to taste)
Instructions
1
All pastry ingredients should be allowed to come to room temperature if they have been in the refrigerator. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, eggs or yeast, and salt. Slowly mix in the water so as to make a thick dough. Knead for a few minutes. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a warm place (e.g., the oven, briefly heated then turned off) to rest. If using yeast, the dough should rest for at least an hour or two.
2
While the dough is resting: Heat oil in a skillet. Fry the fish and vegetables ingredients for stuffing. Reduce heat. Add tomato paste and enough water to keep the mixture moist, cover, and simmer for half an hour. Adjust seasoning. Chop fish into small pieces.
3
Heat oil in a separate pot. Fry the vegetable ingredients for sauce. Reduce heat. Add tomato paste and water, cover, and simmer. Adjust seasoning.
4
Roll the dough into a sheet about a quarter of an inch (0.6 centimeter) thick. Cut the dough into pieces, each about the size of your hand. (An inverted bowl can be used to cut circles, or you cut them into squares.) Place a spoonful of the stuffing mixture in the center of each piece of dough, fold the dough over the stuffing, and crimp the edges together.
5
Fry the pastels in hot oil. Use a skillet with an half inch of oil, or a pot with enough oil to allow the pastels to float. Fry the pastels until they are golden brown, turning them at least once. Fry only a few at a time, not letting them touch each other while frying. When each batch is done, place the pastels on a paper towel, and place in a warm oven until all are done.
6
Garnish with a little left over parsley. Serve with a bowl filled with the warm dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Pastry
3 cups all-purpose white (wheat) flour
3 three eggs, lightly beaten — or — a 1/4 ounce envelope of active dry yeast (baker's yeast), mixed with a spoonful of warm water
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp cooking oil
Stuffing
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 lbs fish (mackerel, mullet, tuna, grouper, etc.), filleted, skin and bones removed
1 onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 carrot, finely chopped (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1 bunch of parsley, chopped (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper (to taste)
Sauce
2 tomatoes, skin removed and chopped
1 sweet green pepper (bell pepper), finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup cooking oil
2 garlic clove, minced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1 bunch chopped parsley, chopped (save some for garnish)
1 chile pepper, cleaned and finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups water
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper (to taste)
Directions
1
All pastry ingredients should be allowed to come to room temperature if they have been in the refrigerator. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, eggs or yeast, and salt. Slowly mix in the water so as to make a thick dough. Knead for a few minutes. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a warm place (e.g., the oven, briefly heated then turned off) to rest. If using yeast, the dough should rest for at least an hour or two.
2
While the dough is resting: Heat oil in a skillet. Fry the fish and vegetables ingredients for stuffing. Reduce heat. Add tomato paste and enough water to keep the mixture moist, cover, and simmer for half an hour. Adjust seasoning. Chop fish into small pieces.
3
Heat oil in a separate pot. Fry the vegetable ingredients for sauce. Reduce heat. Add tomato paste and water, cover, and simmer. Adjust seasoning.
4
Roll the dough into a sheet about a quarter of an inch (0.6 centimeter) thick. Cut the dough into pieces, each about the size of your hand. (An inverted bowl can be used to cut circles, or you cut them into squares.) Place a spoonful of the stuffing mixture in the center of each piece of dough, fold the dough over the stuffing, and crimp the edges together.
5
Fry the pastels in hot oil. Use a skillet with an half inch of oil, or a pot with enough oil to allow the pastels to float. Fry the pastels until they are golden brown, turning them at least once. Fry only a few at a time, not letting them touch each other while frying. When each batch is done, place the pastels on a paper towel, and place in a warm oven until all are done.
6
Garnish with a little left over parsley. Serve with a bowl filled with the warm dipping sauce.
You may wonder how this dish, a popular snack or appetizer in Western Africa, got its name (and if it has anything to do with artist’s colors). Evidently, pastels are a Western African version of the famous Pigeon Pie of Morocco, which is more properly known as Bastilla (Bestilla, B’stila, Bstila). The Moroccan Bastilla is made with fowl, while in Western Africa fish is usually used. Similar and not-so-similar dishes with similar names (Pasteles, etc.) are found in Latin America, though if they were brought there via Africa or the Iberian peninsula (where Pasteles are also found) cannot be determined. Though it may seem that Pastels do not have much in common with artist’s colors, linguists believe that the Moroccan Bastilla, the West African Pastel, and the artist’s crayons all take their name from the same Latin root meaning “paste”, from which we get “pasta”.