For the dough (flour measurement has been updated)
3cupsof all purpose flour375 grams
4tablespoonsmargarineor butter at room temp
1/4teaspoonbaking powder
2tablespoonssugar
1/4teaspoonsaltincrease as needed if margarine/butter is unsalted
1cupwater - room temperature
For the filling:
1cansardines in oil125 grams
2small red and yellow bell peppers or half of 1 large green bell pepperalso called sweet pepper
1/2medium onion
1medium-sized carrot
2sprigs of parsley or half stem of celery
2garlic clovesground fresh spices will work too
Oil for frying
Instructions
Shred the carrots with a grater then finely chop the onion and garlic. Also chop the bell pepper and parsley.
Remove two tablespoons of oil from the can of sardines then place in a pot or skillet. Let it heat for 1 minute then saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
Add in the other vegetables and mix then push them to one side of the pan. Drain the remaining sardines from the oil then add to the cleared side of the pan and mash - don't make them too mushy.
Mix the fish and veggies together. That's it, your filling is ready.
For the dough, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter with finger tips until well incorporated.
Add water a little at a time and mix until it forms a dough. Sprinkle flour on a board then place dough ontop and knead for about two minutes until elastic and smooth.
Cut a little piece of dough. It should be a little smaller than the size of a golf ball.
Roll it out on a floured board to form an oval.
Put a tablespoon of the filling at one end of the rolled-out dough then fold the dough over the filling. Fold in the edges too. Roll till the other end. Repeat process with the rest of the dough.
To fry, heat oil on high heat till hot for about 5 - 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and put in the rolls to fry. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan! Fry for about 5-8 minutes until nice and golden brown. Remove and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Enjoy! Fish rolls are great as a snack, for breakfast or as finger food for parties. So delicious!
Notes
Instead of a tin of sardine you could use canned mackerel in tomato sauce. In this case, you would need extra oil for frying the onion and garlic.You could also use a medium size frozen mackerel fish. Boil it with some seasoning garlic, ginger, salt and Maggi (seasoning cube). When cold, remove all the bones and mash the fish.Note that you could omit adding the vegetables if you want the filling to be all fishy. Or you could use far less veggies than I did. I love incorporating veggies into my snacks so I used more.Also note that I didn't mention the use of salt in the filling. That's because canned sardines (especially the brand I use) are quite tasty and salty. No need for more salt. But do well to taste your filling to ensure that it is well seasoned. You could also add in some white pepper to the filling if you like. I do this sometimes and it is so good!If you put in too much baking powder, your rolls may turn out with big holes. They'll absorb a lot of oil and look rough. So do well to put in only a little baking powder as said in the recipe.If you wish, replace water with skim milk for a richer dough but this is not recommended. You could also add an egg for a richer dough. I recently tried this and I was very happy with the results!There's a video of me making fish rolls on YouTube. CLICK HERE to watch.