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Zubaidi mashwi
Grilled pomfret
Zubaidi mashwi (زبيدي مشوي): Kuwait's favourite whole silver pomfret, grilled with turmeric, garlic and lemon
Ask anyone in Kuwait for the national fish and they will say zubaidi, the silver pomfret, which is at its best from late summer and fills the grills of seaside restaurants in Salmiya. It is cooked whole, slashed and rubbed with turmeric, garlic, chilli and lemon, so the skin crisps and the fine, sweet flesh stays moist. Serve it with white rice, daqqus and lemon wedges. The common mistake is grilling it on a cooler heat for too long: pomfret is thin and dries out quickly. Chef's tip: cut slashes right down to the bone so the marinade seasons the fish all the way through and the thick part cooks as fast as the edges.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 whole silver pomfretabout 300 g each, cleaned and scaled
- 5 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 lemons1 juiced, 1 in wedges
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pat 4 whole silver pomfret dry and cut three deep slashes on each side, down to the bone.
Step 2: Mix 5 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp ground cumin, the juice of one of the 2 lemons, 1 ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp vegetable oil into a paste. Rub it well into the slashes and all over the fish. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 3: Heat a charcoal grill or the oven grill to high. Oil a fish basket or a rack set over a tray.
Step 4: Grill the fish about 10 cm from the heat until the skin blisters and browns, about 6 minutes.
6 minStep 5: Turn and grill the other side until the flesh at the thickest part is opaque right to the bone and lifts away easily.
6 minStep 6: Serve hot with the lemon wedges and rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zubaidi mashwi take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 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 ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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