Grilled bolti (Nile tilapia)
Bolti mashwi: whole Nile tilapia rubbed with cumin, garlic and lemon and grilled over charcoal
From the Nubian villages near Aswan to the fishing camps on Lake Nasser, bolti caught that morning is gutted, slashed and grilled over charcoal for lunch, and fish grills all over Egypt cook it the same way. The rub is simple: crushed garlic, plenty of cumin, lemon, chilli and oil, which toasts on the skin and seasons the sweet, mild flesh. A stuffing of onion and parsley in the belly keeps it moist. Eat it with your hands, picking the flesh from the bones, alongside tahini, green salad and rice or bread. Chef's tip: oil the grill bars as well as the fish and leave it alone for the first 6 minutes; fish moved too early tears and sticks, which is the usual grilling mistake.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 whole tilapiaabout 350 g each, scaled and gutted
- 6 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 2 lemonsjuiced
- 4 tbsp vegetable oildivided
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 onionthinly sliced
- ½ oz flat-leaf parsleyroughly chopped
To serve
- 4 lemon wedges (optional)
- 4 tbsp tahini (optional)thinned with lemon and water
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse 4 whole tilapia and pat dry. Cut 3 deep slashes on each side down to the bone.
Step 2: Mix 6 garlic cloves, 2 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp chilli flakes, 2 lemons, half of 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Rub it over the fish and into the slashes and belly. Fill each belly with some 1 onion and ½ oz flat-leaf parsley. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Light a charcoal grill and wait until the coals are covered in white ash, or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Brush the bars or a fish basket well with the rest of 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
20 minStep 4: Grill the fish for 6–8 minutes without moving it, until the skin is charred in places and releases from the bars by itself.
7 minStep 5: Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill the other side for 6–8 minutes, until the flesh by the backbone is opaque white and flakes easily with a fork.
7 minStep 6: Serve straight away with 4 lemon wedges and 4 tbsp tahini.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does grilled bolti (Nile tilapia) take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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