Tunisian Fricassé (Spicy Tuna Sandwich with Eggs)
A Tunisian Fricassé is a classic street food sandwich. This spicy tuna sandwich includes eggs, potatoes, and olives. Let's dive in!
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The legend of the Tunisian sandwich
Many years ago, in 19th century Tunisia, a local Jewish family was all set to host a big event, with many guests invited. The hostess had been working all day long, preparing the guests for an unforgettable evening.
For dessert, the hostess had prepared a large quantity of fried dough fritters. Before serving, she planned to roll the dough fritters in sugar.
However, sadly, none of the guests showed up.
As her family members sat down to eat, fairly disappointed, the hostess decided to recycle the large amount of dough fritters that she had on hand for dessert into some quick dinners.
Instead of rolling them in sugar, the hostess stuffed the dough fritters with inexpensive, common ingredients she had available - potatoes, fish, hardboiled eggs, olives, and a bit of harissa (a North African chili pepper paste).
Her creative thinking quickly became a staple dish in the household. Soon enough, the word spread and their neighbors adopted this quick and delicious recipe as well. It was not long until the dish became adored by Tunisians from all around the country.
While this story has been passed orally over the years, and it might be fictional or inaccurate, it tells us a lot about Tunisian culture and identity.
The aforementioned dough fritter, called "Fricasse", can be found all around the country and among the Tunisian diaspora.
The Tunisian fricassé spreads
Being a native of Israel, I have been acquainted with this dish since childhood. Tunisian Jews started emigrating to Israel in large quantities in the 1950s and their culture and traditions are an integral part of the Israeli cultural melting pot.
Nowadays, this Tunisian sandwich ("Sandwich Tunisai" in Hebrew) is considered a popular street food all around Israel.
Variations on this spicy tuna sandwich
The most interesting thing about this dish, in my opinion, is its infinite variations.
First of all, due to personal preference and health reasons, many people choose to have their Tunisian fricassé in a baguette instead of in an actual deep-fried fricassé. Actually, I have learned that some of the most renowned Tunisian sandwich vendors are known for their baguette version, while fricassé is the less popular choice among their customers.
Sandwich filling options can also vary. Some ingredients are almost non-negotiable, such as boiled eggs, potatoes, fish (usually canned tuna), olives, and Harissa.
Anchovies, capers, and pickled or preserved lemons are other popular additions to this sandwich.
Traditionally, Harissa is used as the main spread in the sandwich. Some Tunisian households might also add pickled lemon sauce, to add tanginess.
In Israel, many Jews from the Tunisian diaspora intermarried with other Jewish communities, especially with Libyan Jews. In fact, some Tunisian sandwich vendors in Israel are not even Tunisian, but Libyan. This has led to a fascinating phenomenon of cultural interaction.
Libyan Jewish cuisine is known for its many condiments and sauces, such as Mardouma (a spicy tomato sauce), Chershi (a pumpkin-based sauce), and Filfil Chuma (a chili pepper and paprika sauce). These are now served as condiments and spreads in many Tunisian Sandwich venues around Israel.
Making a Tunisian street food sandwich
As you make this dish at home - feel free to play around with the ingredients and quantities.
Tunisian Sandwich vendors are known to customize each meal to their client's preferences. Flexibility and improvisation are a part of the Jewish Tunisian mentality.
Some prefer their sandwich with more or less harissa (more or less spicy). Some don't like olives or prefer to lighten their meal by adding some fresh vegetables.
Most of the ingredients to make this sandwich can be found in any grocery store. If you cannot find preserved lemons or Harissa, I suggest you try the closest Mediterranean/Middle Eastern supermarket, they will surely provide you with everything that you might need. (You can also make your own preserved lemons if you start ahead of time.) And, of course, you can purchase preserved lemons and Harissa online (affiliate links).
The consistency of the Harissa that I find in most grocery stores in the West is less of a sauce or a spread, but more of a thick paste. To thin it out and deepen the flavor, I like to add a few extra ingredients to it, as found in the recipe below.
You can also choose which type of bread you would like to use. My first go-to choice are small mini buns that are around palm size, perhaps a bit larger. The ones that I could find in the Netherlands are quite fantastic and remind me of the shape of the original Fricasse, minus the deep fry.
Another popular option is the widely common French baguette.
Let's get to making this spicy tuna sandwich and enjoy a taste of Tunisian street food at home!
Tunisian Sandwich
A Tunisian Fricassé is a classic street food sandwich. This spicy tuna sandwich includes eggs, potatoes, and olives.
Note: Hard boiling the eggs and cooking the potatoes take most of the time of the preparation of this sandwich and can be done ahead of time. Once your ingredients are cooked, the sandwich comes together in a matter of minutes.
Ingredients
For the sandwich
- 2 eggs
- 2 medium sized potatoes
- 4 mini buns (palm size, around 12cm/4.5 inches in length) or 2 baguettes (around 20cm/8 inches in length)
- 2 cans tuna (around 300g/10.5 oz total)
- ½ cup green olives, sliced
- 8 slices of preserved lemon, finely chopped
For Harissa Spread/Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Harissa paste
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-2 teaspoon salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring some water to a boil. Add the eggs and boil for 8-10 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water and set aside.
- Add the potatoes and boil for 20-30 minutes, until a fork can easily pass through them. Remove the potatoes from the water and set aside to cool.
- Peel the hardboiled eggs. Cut the cooked potatoes and hardboiled eggs into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes.
- Mix all the ingredients for the Harissa spread together in a bowl.
- Slice the buns (or baguettes) lengthwise to make the shape of a sandwich.
- Spread each of the 4 small buns with roughly 2 tablespoon Harissa spread. (Double the amount if using 2 baguettes.)
- Stuff each bun with roughly 2 tablespoon chopped egg, 1 tablespoon chopped potato, 2 tablespoon tuna, 1 tablespoon preserved lemon, and 1 tablespoon olives. (Double these amounts if using 2 baguettes.)
- Serve immediately or pack for later, enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
Each of 4 sandwichesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 663
