This salmon filo pie puts a delicious pescatarian spin on bisteeya – the classic Moroccan pie traditionally made with pigeon and other poultry. Bisteeya lends itself beautifully to seafood, and a salmon version is even quicker and easier than the poultry original as there’s no need to poach the fish before assembling the pie. Traditionally the egg is scrambled into some of the poaching liquid, but I borrowed the idea of stirring the egg through the hot filling from chef Michael Rantissi; it helps ensure the pastry stays crisp. I like to serve my salmon filo pie with a simple Middle Eastern salad (see video below) and a glass of Jon Darragh’s outstanding semillon.
Serves 4–6
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Ocean trout is the closest substitute – it has a similar richness, colour and texture to salmon. Any firm-fleshed fish will work well, including blue-eye trevalla, ling or tuna. Avoid delicate fish like whiting, which won’t hold its shape. Prawns work beautifully too, either alone or combined with fish – cut everything into roughly the same size and add it raw.
Yes. A salmon bisteeya like this one is quite different to the typical salmon filo pie recipes using a cream or crème fraîche filling.
In a bisteeya, the filling is bound with egg and saffron rather than cream, giving it a lighter, more aromatic quality. The butter is used to layer the filo pastry rather than enrich the filling, so the pie is crisp and fragrant rather than creamy.
Yes. While bisteeya is traditionally made with poultry (typically pigeon), a fish bisteeya is actually quicker and easier than the traditional poultry version, as there’s no need to poach the fish before assembling the pie.
Any firm-fleshed fish works well; salmon is a particularly good choice as its richness stands up to the bold Moroccan spicing of saffron, cumin, coriander and almonds.
A seafood version also makes bisteeya accessible to pescatarians who might otherwise miss out on one of Morocco’s most celebrated dishes.
