🍢 SNACK
Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls)
Small, soft rolls of enriched yeast dough, deep-fried until golden, split and stuffed with harissa, tuna, potato, hard-boiled egg and olives.
Tunisian · medium · serves 8
prep 40 min · cook 40 min · plus 1 h 30 min hands-off time
~450 cal · 10g protein · 56g carbs · 20g fat · 3g fiber · 1g sugars · 3g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Fricassé is a small fried bread roll, and one of Tunisia's best-loved street snacks. A soft, well-risen dough, enriched with egg and oil, is shaped into little ovals, fried until golden and puffed, then split while warm and stuffed with the Tunisian favourites: a smear of , flaked tuna, cubes of boiled potato, hard-boiled egg and olives, sometimes with a spoonful of slata mechouia or a sliver of .
Street vendors sell them for a few coins, and they are eaten as a snack or a light meal at any hour, and in large numbers during Ramadan. They are best a little warm, when the bread is still soft, but they are good cold too.
Tunisian cooks make them the same way at home, frying a batch and setting out the fillings so everyone can stuff their own.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
- 500 g (about 4 cups) plain flour
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil, for the dough, plus oil for deep frying
- about 250 ml (1 cup) warm water
- 2 medium potatoes
- 3 eggs, for hard-boiling
- 200 g canned tuna in oil, drained and flaked
- a handful black or green olives, pitted and sliced
- 2 to 3 tbsp
Instructions
- 1Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the beaten egg and the oil, then work in the warm water a little at a time until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- 2Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
- 3Knock back the dough and divide it into 16 pieces of about 50 g. Shape each into a smooth oval roll, set them on an oiled or floured tray, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- 4Meanwhile boil the potatoes for 20 minutes and the eggs for 10 minutes. Peel and dice the potatoes, peel and slice the eggs.
- 5Heat oil for deep frying to 175°C (350°F) and fry the rolls 3 or 4 at a time for 2 to 3 minutes a side, until puffed and golden. Drain on paper and let them cool a little.
- 6Split each roll along the top without cutting through, spread the inside with harissa and stuff with tuna, potato, egg and olives. Serve warm or cold.
Tunisian street-food tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Tunis. Tunis cooks the Maghreb's spiciest food, where harissa fires up couscous, brik pastries, and shakshuka. The medina's souks and Mediterranean coast shape a bold, chili-laced capital table.
🗺️
Tunisia. Tunisia is North Africa's spiciest kitchen, where fiery harissa paste flavors nearly everything, from couscous to brik pastries and shakshuka. Its Mediterranean coast brings olive oil, seafood, and tomatoes to a table shaped by Berber, Arab, and French hands.
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Africa. Much of what reads as timeless African cooking is younger than the Atlantic crossings. Maize, cassava, groundnut, chilli and tomato all arrived from the Americas after 1500 and pushed older crops aside; millet, sorghum, teff, yam and fonio are the ones that were already here, and the map still shows the join.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Tunisia
Shakshuka bel HarissaEggs poached directly in a fiery, harissa-laced pepper and tomato sauce, eaten from the pan with bread.
LablabiChickpeas in garlicky cumin broth ladled over torn bread, hit with harissa, lemon, and a soft egg, Tunisia’s working breakfast.
Couscous bel HoutTunisian fish couscous: steamed semolina under a spicy tomato broth of fish and vegetables.
Browse all Tunisia recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Best made to order. Prep the fillings ahead and assemble just before eating so nothing turns soggy.
Make it a Tunisia meal
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MakroudhDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls)?
Small, soft rolls of enriched yeast dough, deep-fried until golden, split and stuffed with harissa, tuna, potato, hard-boiled egg and olives.
Where does Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls) come from?
Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls) is a Tunisian dish from Tunis, Tunisia.
Can Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Tuna Rolls) take to make?
About 2 h 50 min in all: 40 minutes prep and 40 minutes cooking, plus 1 h 30 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 8.
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