Kalluun duban (Somali grilled whole fish)
Kalluun duban: whole fish grilled with garlic, lime and xawaash, as served by the sea at Lido beach
Seafront restaurants on Mogadishu's Lido beach are famous for kalluun duban, whole fish rubbed with a paste of garlic, lime, chilli and xawaash and grilled over charcoal until the skin blisters. Diners pick a fresh catch, often snapper, grouper or kingfish, and it comes to the table on a platter of spiced rice with lime, salad, banana and fiery basbaas. The flesh should be moist and smoky, tangy with lime. Marinating fish for hours in lime juice is a mistake: the acid starts to 'cook' it and the flesh turns mushy, so 20–30 minutes in the fridge is plenty. Chef's tip: slash the fish deeply down to the bone on both sides, so the marinade gets in and the thick part cooks as fast as the tail.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
- 2 whole fishsnapper, sea bream or sea bass, about 700 g each, scaled and gutted
For the marinade
- 6 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 limesjuiced, plus wedges to serve
- 2 tsp xawaash spice mixSomali blend of cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and turmeric; ready-made or homemade
- 1 green chillivery finely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- ⅓ oz fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse the 2 whole fish inside and out and pat dry. Cut 3–4 deep diagonal slashes on each side, right down to the bone.
Step 2: Mash the 6 cloves garlic, 2 limes juice, 2 tsp xawaash spice mix, 1 green chilli, 1 ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp vegetable oil into a paste. Rub it all over the fish, into the slashes and inside the belly. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 20–30 minutes, not longer.
25 minStep 3: Heat a charcoal barbecue until the coals are covered in white ash, or heat the grill to high. Oil the bars or a fish grilling basket well.
Step 4: Grill the fish for 8–10 minutes on each side, turning once with a wide spatula, until the skin is blistered and charred in places.
20 minStep 5: Check at the thickest point near the head: the flesh should be opaque all the way to the bone and flake easily. Give it a few minutes more if it still looks glassy.
3 minStep 6: Scatter with ⅓ oz fresh coriander and serve with lime wedges, rice and a hot chilli sauce.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 48 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kalluun duban (Somali grilled whole fish) 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?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of limes?
- Lemon, same amount.
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