These Cameroonian fish rolls! They are super tasty and slightly addictive. The crust on the outside is crispy and the fish filling is so full of flavor. It is the ultimate Cameroonian fish roll recipe. We never get tired of them. Just like with chin chin, we have have to stop myself from eating too much in order to save our waistline from iniquity.We first published this recipe in May 2015. Since then, we have tweaked and retested it multiple times. The result is what we can confidently call a no-fail recipe. The dough is elastic and perfect with the right proportion of ingredients. The filling is… well perfect too!We have re-shot the recipe including step-by-step photos to show you how to make fish rolls with confidence. If you love videos, then here is a video of us making them!

How it comes together

Love crispy appetizers? Also try our Spring Rolls With Beef.

“Buy ya fish roll!” is a familiar phrase used by hawkers in Cameroon to attract buyers to purchase the popular snack, fish roll. It is cherished among school-aged kids, workers, the young and the old. People just love it!For some reason, we had never been a fan of Cameroonian fish roll until one day when we stumbled on the fish rolls of the year. Seriously, they were THE FISH ROLLS OF THE YEAR! That’s our way of saying they were insanely satisfying.We were at a traditional meeting where folks brought in either food or drink to share with others. There was this particular family that came in with a bowl of fish rolls sent in by their mother who was absent. We reached for one of the rolls and since then, we haven’t stopped loving the snack.

We started experimenting in the kitchen, trying to make some. Sometimes the rolls would unwrap as we fried them. Brrrrrrrrrr! At other times, they would grow so big in the oil. Sometimes, they were just too oily.

We used only yeast in the dough, only baking powder then both yeast and baking powder. We finally chose to use only a little baking powder as a raising agent because it worked best for us. The struggle to learn how to make “fishy” has been real. Finally, we have our own recipe which many have used over the years and given us awesome feedback. We have tweaked, retested and perfected it because fish roll is serious business.

If you have never made fish rolls before, or you have tried to make them unsuccessfully before, prepare to be swoon. This is simply the best Cameroonian fish roll recipe. Well rolled, tasty and perfect! Get your flour, margarine, sardines in oil and all other ingredients (see below) ready. Let’s make THE FISH ROLLS OF THE YEAR!

Fish Roll Ingredients

cameroon fish roll ingredients

Cameroonian Fish roll ingredients – margarine, sugar and salt are not pictured because well, mommy brain!

For the dough:
3 cups of all purpose flour (375 grams)
4 tablespoons of margarine (or butter at room temp)
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of sugar
A quarter teaspoon of salt (increase if margarine/butter is unsalted)

1 cup of water

For the filling:
We tin of sardine (125 grams)
Half of each or one small each: red and yellow bell peppers
Half of a medium onion
1 medium sized carrot
Two sprigs of parsley or half a stem of celery
Two garlic cloves

You also need 1-2 litres of oil for frying.

How it comes together

First shred the carrots with a grater then finely chop the onions and garlic. Chop the bell peppers and parsley too.

Open the tin of sardine and pour two tablespoons of the oil into a pot or skillet. Let it heat up for one minute then you put in the onions and garlic and fry until fragrant. Add in all other vegetables and mix well. Shift them to side of the pot then out in sardines and mash – don’t make them too mushy. Mix the fish together with the veggies. Viola, the filling is ready!

For the fish roll dough:

Add four tablespoons of margarine to your flour.

Add in two table spoons of sugar.

Add in salt and baking powder (see full recipe below for quantities) then mix with fingertips until everything is well-incorporated. Add in a cup of water a little at a time and mix until you form a dough.

Now flour a board then place the dough on top and knead for two minutes. This greatly improves the texture of the dough. It gets smoother and more elastic as you knead.

How to Roll Fish Rolls Perfectly

First, cut a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll out to form an oval. Place a tablespoon of the filling on top.

Now fold in the dough from the end here the filling is. Fold in the edges too.

Then roll away, baby!

These are our rolls all ready for action, AKA frying. To see more of how we roll them, watch the video.

Now it’s time to fry! Heat up oil on high heat then turn it down to medium heat and put in the rolls. Be careful not to over crowd your pan.

Let each batch cook for about 5-8 minutes. Flip the sides half-way through cooking and as needed. They are ready when they are a beautiful golden brown colour.

Place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Happiness is made of fish rolls. No, we're not joking!

Let’s take a look at that tasty fish filling. Oh mama!

Would we be bossy if we said you must make some? Everyone deserves a homemade fish roll experience at least once in their lifetime!

Here is the printable recipe:

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Try making these rolls of goodness and let us know how that goes for you in the comments section.

Ehugs!

*This post has been updated.

Yield: 20 Fish Rolls
Prep: 1 hour
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the dough (flour measurement has been updated)

3 cups of all purpose flour, 375 grams
4 tablespoons margarine, or butter at room temp
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, increase as needed if margarine/butter is unsalted
1 cup water - room temperature

For the filling:

1 can sardines in oil, 125 grams
2 small red and yellow bell peppers or half of 1 large green bell pepper, also called sweet pepper
1/2 medium onion
1 medium-sized carrot
2 sprigs of parsley or half stem of celery
2 garlic cloves, ground fresh spices will work too
Oil for frying

Method

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 satisfying!