AI-generated image
Safi mashwi
Grilled stuffed rabbitfish
Safi mashwi (صافي مشوي): Bahraini grilled rabbitfish stuffed with garlic, coriander and chilli
Safi, the rabbitfish, is the fish Bahrainis love most, and on weekends it comes off the grills of seafront restaurants in Manama and Budaiya stuffed with a green paste of garlic, coriander and red chilli. The flesh is sweet and delicate and the skin turns crisp and smoky. It is eaten with white rice, a little daqqus and plenty of lime. The common mistake is overfilling the belly so the fish splits on the grill. Chef's tip: rabbitfish has sharp spines on its fins; ask the fishmonger to trim them, or snip them off with kitchen scissors before you start. Any small whole sea bream or bass works if safi is not available.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 whole rabbitfish or small sea breamabout 350 g each, cleaned, scaled and spines trimmed
- 1 bunch fresh coriander
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 limes1 juiced, 1 in wedges
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pound or blend 6 garlic cloves, 1 bunch fresh coriander, 2 red chillies, the juice of one of the 2 limes and ¾ tsp salt into a coarse paste.
Step 2: Pat 4 whole rabbitfish or small sea bream dry and slash twice on each side. Spoon the paste into the belly cavities, not too full.
Step 3: Mix 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp ground turmeric, the rest of ¾ tsp salt and 3 tbsp vegetable oil and rub over the outside. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 4: Heat a charcoal grill or oven grill to high. Grill the fish in an oiled basket or on a rack until the skin is blistered and crisp underneath.
8 minStep 5: Turn and grill the other side until the flesh near the bone is opaque and flakes easily.
8 minStep 6: Serve with the lime wedges and rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does safi mashwi take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 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 fresh coriander?
- Flat-leaf parsley with a little mint (for people who dislike coriander too).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moreton Bay bugsSlipper lobster with garlic butter
Moreton Bay bugs are the flat, shovel-nosed slipper lobsters caught off the Queensland coast around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and for Queenslanders they are a summer treat, split and grilled at the beach house. The tail meat is sweet and rich, somewhere between lobster and prawn. Buy them raw, frozen or fresh, from a fishmonger and ask them to halve them if you like. A common mistake is overcooking, which makes the meat rubbery; it is ready the moment it turns white. Chef's tip: grill flesh side down first to mark it, then turn and baste in the shell.
Australian
All i pebreEel and potato paprika stew
In El Palmar and the other villages around the Albufera lagoon south of Valencia, the restaurants that are famous for paella serve something older first: all i pebre, "garlic and pepper", a brick-red stew of lagoon eel and potatoes thickened with a pounded almond and fried-bread picada. It is rich, garlicky and gently hot, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to skin and cut the eel, and handle it with gloves: raw eel blood is irritating, though harmless once cooked. If you can't find eel, monkfish or hake works well. A common mistake is letting the paprika burn; it turns bitter in seconds, so add it off the heat. Chef's tip: break the potatoes with a knife instead of cutting cleanly; the rough edges release starch and thicken the sauce.
Spanish
Midia saganakiMussels with tomato and feta
Thessaloniki is Greece's mussel capital, with farms in the Thermaic Gulf a few kilometres from the seafront ouzeries where this two-handled pan arrives, still bubbling, at the table. Mussels steam open in a quick sauce of peppers, tomato and chilli, and crumbled feta melts into the juices at the end. Bread is essential. The classic version adds a splash of ouzo; this one is alcohol-free, using a pinch of fennel seed for that aniseed note (add 2 tbsp ouzo with the tomatoes if you like). Common mistake: overcooking — take the pan off the heat as soon as the shells open. Chef's tip: buy mussels on the day and keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never in water.
Greek