AI-generated image
Samak mofa
Samak mofa (سمك موفا): Hadhrami fish rubbed with chilli paste and roasted hot, the home-oven way
In Mukalla in Hadhramaut and along the Tihama coast of Yemen, samak mofa is slapped against the hot clay wall of a tannour oven, the same one used for bread, so the fish chars on the outside and steams in its own juices within. It is rubbed with a red paste of chilli, garlic, cumin and turmeric and eaten with hot flatbread, a squeeze of lime and a bowl of sahawiq chilli sauce. At home a very hot oven with the grill on gives the same blistered finish. The common mistake is using thin fillets, which dry out before they char. Chef's tip: choose a thick whole fish or thick steaks, and slash deep so the paste reaches the bone.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb whole firm fishsuch as kingfish, sea bream or snapper, cleaned and scaled; or 4 thick steaks
- 4 dried red chilliessoaked in hot water 15 minutes
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 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
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Blend the drained 4 dried red chillies, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 6 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric, the juice of one of the 2 limes, 1 ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp vegetable oil into a thick paste.
Step 2: Pat 2 ⅝ lb whole firm fish dry and cut deep slashes down to the bone on both sides. Rub the paste into the slashes, the cavity and all over. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Heat the oven to its highest setting, 475°F, with a heavy tray inside, for at least 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Lay the fish on oiled foil on the hot tray and roast until the skin is blistered and the flesh at the thickest part is opaque right to the bone and flakes easily, 20–25 minutes for a whole fish, 12–15 for steaks.
22 minStep 5: Switch to the grill for the last 3 minutes to char the top. Serve with the lime wedges and flatbread.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does samak mofa take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 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.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of red chilli powder?
- Cayenne, half the amount (hotter).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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
Singapore chilli crab
Chilli crab was first sold from a pushcart on the Kallang river in the 1950s and is now the dish visitors queue for along Singapore's East Coast seafood strip. Big mud crabs are cut up, wok-fried and simmered in a thick, sweet, tangy and gently hot sauce of chilli, tomato and garlic, which is then silked with beaten egg. Everyone eats with their hands and mops up the sauce with fried or steamed mantou buns. It is a weekend or celebration meal, messy and loud. Buy crabs live or freshly cooked the same day from a fishmonger you trust. Discard any live crab that doesn't move, smells of ammonia or has a cracked, leaking shell. The common mistake is boiling the sauce after adding the egg, which scrambles it into lumps; pour it in a thin stream over a low heat. Chef's tip: ask the fishmonger to clean and quarter the crab for you, and crack each claw lightly with the back of a cleaver so the sauce soaks in.
Singaporean
Rhode Island clam cakes
At beach shacks along Narragansett Bay and in Galilee, clam cakes are bought by the paper bag, half a dozen at a time, to dunk in a cup of clear clam chowder. They are not patties but craggy, golden fritters, crisp outside and soft inside, studded with chopped quahog clams. Chef's tip: use the clam juice as part of the liquid; it puts the sea flavour into every bite of batter.
American
Tunisian octopus salad
Fishermen of the Kerkennah islands, off Sfax, still catch octopus in clay pots laid on the shallow seabed, and in winter the season's catch turns up in harbour cafés and home kitchens as this simple salad. The octopus is simmered slowly until tender, cooled in its broth, then sliced and tossed with red onion, plenty of parsley, lemon juice and good olive oil, with a little harissa if you like. It is light, clean and briny, eaten as a starter with bread or on a summer table of salads and grilled fish. Buy octopus from a reputable fishmonger; frozen and thawed octopus is often more tender than fresh. A common mistake is boiling the octopus at a rolling boil, which makes it rubbery; keep it at a gentle simmer until a knife slides in easily. Chef's tip: let the cooked octopus cool in its cooking liquid for 20 minutes before slicing; it stays juicy rather than tightening up.
Tunisian