What Are Pastels? The Senegalese Fried Fish Pastries Explained

Trays of golden pastels appearing at a party, still warm from the oil, are one of the happiest sights in a Senegalese kitchen. They are the snack that means people are gathering, the little fried parcels that vanish as fast as they are set down, passed round with a bowl of hot red sauce and eaten between chatter and laughter. For Senegalese families in Britain, the smell of pastry frying and fish being seasoned brings back celebrations, naming days and the easy generosity of a full table.

There is real care folded into each one, in the seasoning of the fish, in the sealing of the pastry so it does not open in the oil, in getting the fry just right so they come out crisp and golden. Making pastels is often a shared job, hands working together to fill and fold, and that is part of what they mean. To fry a batch in a British kitchen is to keep that tradition going, and to hand a friend a warm pastel with a spoon of kaani is to share it.

What Pastels Actually Are

Pastels are a beloved Senegalese fried snack: parcels of pastry filled with spiced, flaked fish, sealed shut and deep-fried until golden and crisp. The filling is the heart of them, fish cooked and seasoned with onion, herbs and spices, sometimes with a little vegetable added, then spooned into rounds or squares of pastry that are folded over and pressed closed. Dropped into hot oil, the pastry puffs and crisps around the savoury fish inside, and the finished pastels come out golden brown, crunchy on the outside and soft and flavourful within.

They are almost always served with kaani, a hot dipping sauce made from pepper and tomato, sometimes also called nokoss, which brings heat and tang to balance the rich, fried pastry. That combination of crisp fish parcel and fiery sauce is what makes pastels so more-ish, and it sits happily among the snacks and starters of Senegalese food. They are the kind of thing that is hard to eat just one of, which is why they turn up wherever people are celebrating.

It is worth knowing how pastels relate to their close cousins. The classic pastel is filled with fish, and when a similar parcel is filled with seasoned meat it is usually called a fataya instead. In some places rolled versions are known as nems. They belong to the same family as other West African fried snacks such as akara, the black-eyed bean fritter, all of them small, savoury and made to be shared. Because the pastry is wheat-based it contains gluten, and the filling contains fish, both worth keeping in mind if you are cooking for anyone who needs to avoid them.

How Pastels Are Made and Served

Making pastels begins with the filling. Fish is cooked and flaked, then seasoned generously with onion, garlic, herbs and spices so it is savoury and full of flavour; some cooks add a little chopped vegetable for texture. A simple savoury pastry or dough is rolled out and cut into rounds or squares, a spoon of the fish mixture is placed in the centre, and the pastry is folded over the filling and sealed firmly at the edges, often crimped with a fork so it holds together in the oil.

The sealed parcels are then deep-fried in hot oil until they are golden and crisp all over, then lifted out to drain. Getting the seal right matters, because a parcel that opens will let the oil in and the filling out, so the folding and crimping is done with care. Once fried, the pastels are served hot, piled on a plate with a bowl of kaani sauce alongside for dipping. They are eaten with the hands, dunked into the spicy tomato-pepper sauce, and are best enjoyed fresh and warm while the pastry is still at its crispest.

Pastels are above all an appetiser and a snack rather than a main meal. They appear as a starter before a larger dish, as finger food at parties and gatherings, and as street food to eat on the go. Their size and their sauce make them sociable food, easy to hand round and share, and they are as welcome at a family celebration as they are bought hot from a stall.

Why Pastels Matter in Senegal

Pastels hold a warm place in Senegalese food because they are celebration food and everyday treat in one. They are what you make when guests are coming, what fills the table at a naming ceremony or a party, and what you buy as a quick, satisfying bite from a street vendor. The effort of filling and folding them is part of their generosity, a snack that says someone took the time, and they are all the more loved for it.

Like much of Senegalese cooking, pastels are closely shared with The Gambia and the wider West African coast, where fried, filled pastries and fritters are a familiar pleasure. Fish is central to Senegalese cooking, so a fish-filled pastel feels entirely at home, and the fiery kaani sauce that comes with it reflects the country's love of pepper and heat. They are simple, honest street and party food, the kind of thing everyone has an opinion on and everyone reaches for.

Where to Buy Pastels Ingredients in the UK

Pastels are made at home for parties and gatherings across Britain, and the ingredients are easy to gather from African food shops. You will want fish for the filling, onion, garlic, herbs and spices to season it, flour or ready pastry for the parcels, oil for frying, and tomatoes and hot peppers to make the kaani sauce. Shops serving West African customers are the best place to find the right fish, the Scotch bonnet or other hot peppers and the seasonings that give the dish its authentic flavour. None of it is hard to find, so a batch of pastels is well within reach at home. You can find African food stores near you to see what is nearby.