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Sayadieh
Fish and caramelised onion rice
Sayadieh: Saida fisherman's fish and caramelised-onion rice with toasted nuts
In the port towns of Saida, Tyre and Batroun, sayadieh is what fishermen's families cook with the day's white fish: rice simmered in a deep brown stock made from very dark caramelised onions and cumin, topped with flakes of fried fish, toasted almonds and pine nuts. The rice is savoury and faintly sweet from the onions, and it comes with a tahini-lemon sauce (tarator) on the side. Common mistake: stopping the onions too early — they need to be almost mahogany for the right colour and taste. Chef's tip: simmer the fish trimmings in the onion stock for 20 minutes before cooking the rice; it doubles the sea flavour.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
- 1 ⅓ lb white fish fillets (sea bass, cod or hake)skin on, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- ¼ cup sunflower oil
For the rice
- 3 onionsthinly sliced
- 10 ½ oz long-grain ricerinsed
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 oz flaked almonds
- 1 oz pine nuts
For the tarator
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garliccrushed
- 4 tbsp water
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Season 1 ⅓ lb white fish fillets (sea bass, cod or hake) with 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp salt and keep in the fridge while you start the onions.
Step 2: Heat ¼ cup sunflower oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Fry 1 oz flaked almonds and then 1 oz pine nuts until golden, about 2 minutes each, and lift onto paper.
4 minStep 3: Add 3 onions to the same oil and fry, stirring often, for 25–30 minutes until very dark brown and crisp. Lift out half for garnish.
30 minStep 4: Pour 3 ¼ cups water onto the onions left in the pan (stand back, it spits), add 1 ½ tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp salt, and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend or press through a sieve to make a dark stock.
10 minStep 5: Return the stock to the pan, bring to the boil, stir in 10 ½ oz long-grain rice, cover and cook over the lowest heat for 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice tender. Rest off the heat 10 minutes.
25 minStep 6: Meanwhile, dust the fish with 2 tbsp plain flour and fry in a little oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes a side, until golden, opaque all the way through and flaking easily.
8 minStep 7: Whisk 4 tbsp tahini, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 clove garlic and 4 tbsp water to a pourable sauce.
Step 8: Spoon the rice onto a platter, break the fish into large flakes on top and scatter with the reserved onions and the nuts. Serve with the tarator.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sayadieh take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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