It is been long time since I got fresh fish from Mina fish market in Abu Dhabi, so finally I could manage to spare few hours during the weekend morning and drove to fish market. Lonely walking down the market isle, inhaled the drooling fragrance of grilled fish and could not control myself, so headed to one of the shops. The visuals were mesmerizing; fresh fish coated in some red gravy and char-grilled, clams being cooked on a skillet with parsley and garlic, grilled prawns cooked in tomato gravy with garlic and cracked black pepper, the classic way of Alexandrian cooking.
As usual, keen to know the detailed recipe and how I can get a large grilled fish. Not being able to speak a word of Arabic, I started to recollect all the Arabic words that I could and was ready to be un-shy, being the only lady customer among the huge crowd of men. Hesitantly, I reached out to one of the cooks and in a low voice whispered “Urid shira Samakat Alshawa”, when means, I want to buy one of those grilled fish, while pointing towards a huge fish. The cook could barely speak any in English, but with his actions I figured out that I need to buy him the fresh fish and he would grill it for me. I was clueless about the best suited fish, gathering up my courage i asked him “Wahu afdal Al'asmak?”, which means, which is the best fish? All I could understand names as Hammour, Seabass, Thilapia and Lemon Fish. I decided to try out Lemon fish.
That was it! I was empowered with some basic knowledge on fish grilling, from then on I ain’t any compromise when it comes to inquire about food. You ask and you will get the power of knowledge!
I hurried to the nearby stall, picked up
similar huge fish and gave it to the chef with a big smile. Just then the chef
told me “60 daqiqa”, displaying his figures, I recollected all the Arabic
numbers from 1 to 10 and fell on my mouth to realize that I am in a queue and
it will take 60 minutes to be ready. My smile turned to frown and panicked, as
I had informed at home to be back in an hour time and now this will take 2
hours’ time. To my good fortune, the chef was a very kind Egyptian, though he
refused to share the secret ingredients of the sauce, he agreed to sell me the
Red sauce, which is quite unusual. I reached home and grilled the fish to
perfection. Happy meal happy family.
Egypt is famous for its spices. They have secret ingredient in many recipes, handed down from generation to generation. Personally I felt that Egyptian sauce is the best sauce for grilling fish and we know that the medieval Egyptians delighted in fish cookery, I can only summaries that this was one of the more typical methods by which the fish were cooked. The ancient Egyptian food is rich including meat, fish and poultry on a daily basis. The poor could only feast on fish.
Fish is our favorite food and fish cooked in any method is always our favorite, provided they are fresh catch. Surprisingly one day Mr.B asked me to create the same secret sauce as the taste of last grilled fish still lingers in his tongue. It was quite a challenge for me to guess the unknown flavors because the sauce is mildly spiced, tangy with olive oil and none of the spice stands out. So it was quite an experimenting sessions for me. Finally here I am to share with you their secret sauce.
This recipe calls for a barbeque, but if you don’t have access to a barbeque, you can grill the fish in a preheated oven at 200 C (400 F). Grill it in the oven, open-faced, until the fish is cooked through (about 20 minutes). The Best fish for grilling is Lemon fish, Seabream, Hamour, Sheri and Snapper and these are locally available in UAE.
A gorgeous and super flavorful grilled Lemon fish served with brown Khubbos, Hummus, Tabelouh salad and some pickles is always a hit for our weekend menu. The whole fish cleaned and marinated in a chilly and tomato based tangy sauce dripping in olive oil. The sauce is the secret ingredient for this recipe. Samak Mashwi is an absolute crowd pleaser and never fails to impress guest and Mr. B. The more I give him, is always less for him.
This is our family comfort meal on weekends, the days I don’t feel to cook and still want to have a grand platter on my table. This is what I call food heaven. I guarantee this pan-fried lemon fish will be the best you’ve ever tried! Now lets head on to the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 large fish
- 1 lemon sliced
- Sea Salt, as required
For the Sauce:
List 1
- 1 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (you can add more if you want more heat)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 dried lemon, in powdered form
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- Juice of 1 ½ lemons
List 2
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 red capsicum, chopped
- 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 cups of tomato, chopped
- 4 to 5 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
For the fish:
Clean the fish thoroughly and then carefully with a knife running through the side joint slit open from one side trying to cut it all the way from its neck to the tail.
Put some slits over the fish skin as well. Sprinkle the outside of the fish with salt and rub lemon to remove any discolor and strong fish odor.
Put some slits over the fish skin as well. Sprinkle the outside of the fish with salt and rub lemon to remove any discolor and strong fish odor.
Procedure for the sauce:
Combine all the ingredients of List 1 along with some salt and mix well to form a smooth paste.
Heat 2 tablespoon of oil and saute the onions for five minutes, until it is soft. Add the tomatoes, capsicum and garlic with some salt to taste and allow it to cook until it becomes very soft. Allow it to cool down and then in a blender add the sauted vegetables along with list 1 ingredients and fine grind it to smooth fine paste. Transfer it to a bowl and check for seasoning and add some more olive oil.
Procedure for the fish marination:
On a grill tray place the foil paper as the base for the fish. Lay the fish, with flesh side down and brush the marinade over the skin and the slits. Now turnover the fish, with skin side down and brush the marinade over the flesh, reserving some of the marinade to use at the final stage of grilling. Let the fish soak up the marinade for 15 to 20 minutes, the more the merrier.
Preheat the oven grill 200 C (400 F). Place in the fish with, skin side down, arrange some slices of lemon over it. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Carefully flip the fish over, flesh side down, and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until cooked through.
Carefully flip the fish over, flesh side down, and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until cooked through.
Serve with the Khubbos, Hummus, Tabelouh salad and get ready to dig in! Bel hana well sheffah! (Bon appetite in Arabic)
Do try this recipe and don’t forget to let me know if you like it through comments. Be kind to like my page and share with your friends using the buttons on the side, that would really encourage me. God Bless!
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