Chez Magali ★ 4.5
Why locals love it: Tourists rarely make it to L'Estaque port; locals have eaten Magali's chichis here for 78 years.
Tip: Cash only; chichis straight from the oil, panisses by the dozen in a paper cone.
History
Panisse arrived in Marseille with the Italian and Ligurian dockworkers from Genoa across the 19th century, the cheap chickpea-flour street snack of the workers' lunch. Chez Magali at the L'Estaque port has fried panisse since 1947 in the family kiosk, and the dish has stayed a working-class fast food eaten standing in a paper cone with a glass of pastis. The Marche des Capucins counters fry them all day as quick lunch.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 250g chickpea flour
- 1 litre water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- Black pepper
- Optional: 1 garlic clove crushed, sprig of rosemary
Method
- Whisk the chickpea flour into the cold water in a heavy pan; whisk until smooth, then add the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 12 to 15 minutes until the batter thickens to a stiff polenta-like paste.
- Pour into an oiled rectangular tray about 2cm deep, smooth the top. Cool, then refrigerate at least 2 hours until firmly set.
- Turn out and cut into batons or rounds about 1cm thick.
- Fry in 1cm of hot olive oil until deep golden on each side, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper, season with sea salt and pepper, serve immediately.
Tip from the editors. The batter must be stirred without stopping or it forms lumps; if it does, beat it hard with a whisk before pouring into the tray.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat panisse
Panisse in Marseille
Marche des Capucins counter food ★ 4.2
Marche des Capucins in Marseille's 1er Noailles runs all day with halal butchers, Tunisian pastries and counter-food stalls, cheapest fresh fast lunch in the centre of the city.
Try: Maghrebi snacks and produce-stand lunch
Tip: Cash is faster than card; arrive before noon for the freshest fish.
More cities are in research. Want panisse covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.