Bastilla bil Hout

Bastilla bil hout — seafood bastilla — is the coastal Moroccan cousin of the celebrated pigeon or chicken pastilla. Popular in Casablanca and Essaouira, it wraps layers of crisp warqa (or filo) around a fragrant vermicelli-and-seafood filling scented with ginger, harissa and fresh herbs. The sweet-savoury icing-sugar finish is optional but traditional.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Filling

• 300g (10 oz) raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 200g (7 oz) firm white fish fillet (cod or haddock), roughly chopped
• 150g (5 oz) cooked vermicelli noodles
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp harissa paste
• 1 tbsp (15ml) lemon juice
• Large handful fresh coriander and flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Pastry

• 10 sheets filo pastry (or warqa)
• 80g (3 oz) unsalted butter, melted

To finish

• 1 egg yolk, beaten (for glazing)
• 1 tbsp icing sugar mixed with ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin and harissa; cook 1 minute.
2. Add prawns and fish; cook 3–4 minutes just until opaque. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and herbs. Cool completely, then fold in cooked vermicelli. Taste for seasoning.
3. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Grease a 24 cm (9½ in) round springform or cake tin.
4. Brush 5 filo sheets individually with melted butter and layer them in the tin, overlapping and letting edges hang over the sides.
5. Spoon the seafood filling into the pastry-lined tin and press down gently.
6. Fold the overhanging filo over the filling. Layer the remaining 5 filo sheets on top, buttering each, tucking edges underneath neatly.
7. Brush the top generously with beaten egg yolk.
8. Bake 35–40 minutes until deeply golden and crisp.
9. Cool 5 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon if desired. Serve in wedges.

Cook's Notes: Make sure the filling is fully cooled before assembling — steam will turn the filo soggy. Warqa, the traditional Moroccan pastry, is thinner and crispier than filo; seek it at North African grocers if available. The bastilla can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated before baking.