Lebanese sayadieh with hake and spiced rice
Sayadieh is a Lebanese dish built around fish and rice. For this Lebanese sayadieh with hake and spiced rice, we use hake, which is sold as merluza in Spain. It is firm enough to fry well and stays tender inside. The rice is cooked with slowly browned onion and a mild spice mixture. This gives it a full, savoury flavour without any one spice taking over. Toasted pine nuts add some texture and parsley keeps the dish fresh. Put the tahini sauce and lemon on the table separately, so you can add as much as you like. It is a complete main course for four people. Serve it with a simple salad for a satisfying meal that does not feel heavy.
Equipment
1 large sauté pan with lid heavy-based
1 large frying pan for the fish
1 small bowl for the tahini sauce
Servings people
Ingredients
Fish
- 700 g hake fillets (skinless and boneless)
- 40 g plain flour
Spiced onion rice
- 3 yellow onions (large)
- 300 g basmati rice
- 600 ml fish stock (preferably low-salt)
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon powder
- 0.25 tsp allspice powder
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
Tahini sauce and garnish
- 100 g tahini
- 80 ml water
- 2 lemons
- 1 clove garlic
- 35 g pine nuts
- 15 g parsley
Instructions
Preparation
- Defrost frozen fish completely first. Pat 700 g hake fillets thoroughly dry, check for any remaining bones and cut the fish into four equal pieces. Mix 0.5 tsp ground cumin, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper, then rub this all over the fish. Keep chilled while preparing the rice.
- Peel 3 yellow onions and slice them into thin half-moons. Rinse 300 g basmati rice under cold water until the water runs almost clear, then drain well. Finely chop 15 g parsley.
- Toast 35 g pine nuts in the dry frying pan over a medium heat. Shake the pan regularly and remove them as soon as they are pale golden. In a small bowl, mix 100 g tahini with the juice of 1 lemon, 1 clove garlic and 0.5 tsp salt. Gradually stir in 80 ml water until smooth and pourable.
Method
- Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in the sauté pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions with 0.5 tsp salt and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir regularly, especially towards the end, until deep golden, soft and sweet but not black. Spoon about a quarter of the onions out of the pan and reserve for serving.
- Stir 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp coriander powder, 0.5 tsp cinnamon powder, 0.25 tsp allspice powder and 0.25 tsp black pepper through the onions for 30 seconds. Add the drained rice and stir for two minutes so that every grain is coated with oil and spices.
- Pour 600 ml fish stock into the rice and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down as soon as it bubbles, cover the pan and cook gently for 14 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for another 10 minutes. Fluff it carefully with a fork.
- Just before frying, lightly coat the seasoned fish with 40 g plain flour and tap off the excess. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the hake for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side and another 2 to 3 minutes on the other. It should be golden outside and just flake apart inside.
To serve
- Spoon the spiced onion rice onto a warm platter and arrange the fried hake on top. Scatter over the reserved onions, pine nuts and parsley. Cut 1 lemon into wedges and serve them with the tahini sauce, so everyone can make this fish and rice dish as fresh and creamy as they like.
Notes
Hake is called merluza in Spain and is widely available fresh or frozen. Defrost frozen fish completely and pat it thoroughly dry, otherwise it will not brown properly. Cod or sea bass will also work, provided the fillet is firm and boneless. Take your time browning the onions; blackened onion will make the rice bitter. Toasted almonds can replace the pine nuts. Keep the rice, fish and tahini sauce separately in the fridge and reheat only the rice and fish gently.
Nutrition
Calories: 851kcalCarbohydrates: 83.1gProtein: 35.8gFat: 41.3gSaturated fat: 6.2gCholesterol: 117mgSugars: 4.7g
Tried this recipe?Let me know what you think!
A taste of the Lebanese coast
my choice
this week
Sayadieh brings the atmosphere of the Lebanese coast to the table. Beneath the golden hake lies rice that has soaked up the sweetness of onion and the warmth of gentle spices. Fresh tahini sauce, lemon and toasted pine nuts make every forkful rich, soft and lively.
