Pastel com Diabo Dentro

Name: Pastel com Diabo Dentro
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Cabo Verde
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup cornmeal; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1 1/4 cups warm water; 1 lb white fish, flaked and cooked; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 tomato, finely chopped; 1 tsp paprika; Vegetable oil, for deep frying

8 servings40 min prep20 min cookMedium Cabo Verde

♡ Sign in to save Print / Save as PDFPro

The Story Behind It

The Tale of Pastel com Diabo Dentro

Story updated September 17, 2026

Pastel com diabo dentro, meaning 'pastry with the devil inside,' is a spicy fried turnover filled with fish or seafood, a specialty of the island of São Vicente in Cabo Verde. Its fiery pepper filling, playfully blamed for the 'devil' in its name, reflects the archipelago's Portuguese pastry tradition fused with West African chile heat.

Ingredients

Scale:· 8 servings

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 lb white fish, flaked and cooked
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Instructions

1Mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and warm water into a smooth, elastic dough; rest 20 minutes.
2For the filling, sauté onion and tomato with paprika until soft, then stir in the flaked fish.
3Divide the dough into balls and flatten each into a small disc.
4Spoon filling onto each disc and fold over into a half-moon, sealing the edges well.
5Heat oil to 350°F and fry the pastels in batches 3-4 minutes per side until golden.
6Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Want Cook Mode, your own recipe photos, and unlimited calculators?

Get Home Cooking Pro

Comments

Loading comments…