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Sayadiya (fisherman's fish and rice)
Sayadiya: fried white fish on rice cooked dark with caramelised onions, topped with toasted nuts
The name comes from the word for fisherman, and sayadiya is the pride of the fish restaurants along the Alexandria seafront and in Suez, where it is ordered as a platter for the whole table. Its signature is the colour: onions are fried slowly until mahogany, then simmered into a stock that turns the rice a deep brown and fills it with sweet, savoury, cumin-scented flavour. On top go pieces of crisp fried fish and a scatter of toasted pine nuts and almonds, with lemon wedges, tahini and a green salad alongside. Chef's tip: watch the onions closely in the last few minutes and lift them out when they are dark brown, never black; burnt onions make the whole pot bitter.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
- 1 ¾ lb white fish filletssea bass, sea bream, mullet or tilapia, cut into 8 pieces
- 2 tsp ground cumindivided
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 lemonjuiced
- 2 tsp saltdivided
- 4 tbsp cornflourfor dusting
- 1 ¾ cups vegetable oilfor frying
For the rice
- 3 onionsthinly sliced
- 14 oz long-grain ricesoaked 20 minutes and drained
- 3 ¼ cups fish stockhot, or water
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
To finish
- ⅞ oz pine nuts (optional)
- ⅞ oz flaked almonds (optional)
- 4 lemon wedges (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 1 ¾ lb white fish fillets with 3 garlic cloves, 1 lemon, half of 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp of 1 tsp salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes while you start the onions; never leave it on the counter.
20 minStep 2: Heat 1 ¾ cups vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 3 onions, stirring often, for 15–18 minutes until evenly dark brown and crisp. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.
18 minStep 3: Put two-thirds of the fried onions in a saucepan with 3 ¼ cups fish stock, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 green cardamom pods, 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp ground black pepper, the rest of 1 tsp ground cumin and the rest of 1 tsp salt. Simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid turns a rich brown, then blend it smooth or leave it as is.
5 minStep 4: Stir in the drained 14 oz long-grain rice, bring back to the boil, then cover and cook over the lowest heat for 18 minutes without lifting the lid, until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
23 minStep 5: While the rice cooks, fry ⅞ oz pine nuts and ⅞ oz flaked almonds in a spoonful of the onion oil over a medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes until golden. Drain.
3 minStep 6: Reheat the onion oil over a medium-high heat. Pat the fish dry, dust with 4 tbsp cornflour and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and the flesh is opaque all the way through and flakes easily with a fork.
10 minStep 7: Fluff the rice onto a platter, arrange the fish on top and scatter over the reserved onions and toasted nuts. Serve with 4 lemon wedges.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 92 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sayadiya (fisherman's fish and rice) take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 55 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 ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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