Sayadieh (Fish with Spiced Rice)

Ingredients

Fish and rice

• 1 kg fish fillet (any fish works the same way)
• 2 cups Abu Bint or basmati rice, soaked
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp fish seasoning
• 1/4 tsp five-spice mix (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg)
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• A squeeze of lemon
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Flour for coating the fish
• Fried almonds and pine nuts

Tahini salad

• 1/2 cup tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1 tomato, finely diced
• Cucumber, finely diced
• 1 tbsp onion, finely chopped
• Water

Method

1. Cut the fish into medium pieces and marinate with lemon, oil, fish seasoning, cumin, coriander, a little turmeric, salt, black pepper and garlic for half an hour or more.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot and fry the onions and garlic until soft and lightly browned. Add the fish seasoning, five-spice, turmeric and stock cube, then the rice, with 1 1/2 cups water per cup of rice. Once the water is absorbed, lower the heat until the rice is cooked.
3. Coat the fish pieces in flour and bake at 180°C for half an hour until cooked, or fry them, or air fry with a spray of oil for 20 minutes at 200°C.
4. Tahini salad: add the lemon and salt to the tahini and stir well until it thickens, then add water little by little until smooth. Add the garlic, parsley, tomato, cucumber and onion.
5. Garnish with almonds and pine nuts to taste.