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Scrumbie la grătar
Grilled shad with garlic sauce
Scrumbie de Dunăre: Danube shad grilled whole with mujdei garlic sauce and mămăligă
Every spring, when the shad swim up the Danube to spawn, the fish markets of Tulcea and Brăila fill with scrumbie, and the smell of it grilling drifts across the riverside terraces through April and May. The fish is oily and full of flavour, so it needs nothing more than salt, a hot grill and a bowl of mujdei, the raw garlic sauce, with soft mămăligă to calm the heat of the garlic. Shad has many fine bones; diners eat it slowly, lifting the flesh off in strips. If you cannot find shad, herring or mackerel are the closest substitutes. The usual slip is turning the fish too early, so the skin tears; wait until it lifts on its own. Chef's tip: slash the sides of the fish every 1.5 cm right down to the bone; the heat gets in and the tiny bones soften.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
- 4 whole Danube shad, herring or mackerelabout 300 g each, gutted and scaled
- 1 ½ tsp coarse salt
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
For the mujdei
- 8 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
For the mămăligă
- 4 ¼ cups water for the mămăligă
- 1 tsp salt for the mămăligă
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Start the mămăligă: bring the 4 ¼ cups water for the mămăligă and 1 tsp salt for the mămăligă to the boil, rain in the 9 oz medium yellow cornmeal (mălai) while whisking and cook on a low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until thick and pulling from the sides.
25 minStep 2: Meanwhile pat the 4 whole Danube shad, herring or mackerel dry inside and out and slash both sides every 1.5 cm. Rub with the 1 ½ tsp coarse salt and 2 tbsp sunflower oil and keep in the fridge until the grill is hot.
5 minStep 3: For the mujdei, crush the 8 cloves garlic with the ½ tsp salt in a mortar to a smooth paste. Work in the ¼ cup cold water, 1 tsp white wine vinegar and 2 tbsp sunflower oil a little at a time until creamy.
5 minStep 4: Heat a grill or barbecue to high and oil the bars. Grill the fish for 5–6 minutes, without moving, until the skin is blistered and lifts away cleanly.
6 minStep 5: Turn carefully and grill for 5–6 minutes more, until the flesh is opaque right to the bone and flakes easily at the thickest part.
6 minStep 6: Serve the fish whole with the mujdei to spoon over and the hot mămăligă alongside.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does scrumbie la grătar take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 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 white wine vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
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