White fish baked over rice stained dark with deeply caramelised onions, finished with toasted pine nuts and a sharp tahini sauce.
Prep
25 mins
Cook
55 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£3.25
Difficulty
medium
The colour of a good sayadieh comes from onions taken much further than most recipes dare, almost to the edge of burnt, then blended into the cooking stock. That is the whole technique. The fish is added late and cooked gently so it stays in flakes rather than shredding into the rice.
Heat 4 tbsp of the olive oil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat and add the sliced onions with a pinch of the salt. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until they are very dark brown and sweet. Do not stop at golden.
This is the longest and most important step. Aim for the colour of strong tea. If they start to smell acrid rather than sweet, pull them back with a splash of water.
Lift out a third of the onions and drain them on kitchen paper for the garnish.
Add 700 ml water to the pan with the onions still in it, along with the bay leaves, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, 1 tsp of the salt and the black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the bay leaves and blend the liquid until smooth and dark.
Blending the onions into the stock is what dyes the rice. Straining them out would waste the point of the last half hour.
Season the fish with the remaining salt. Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sear the pieces for 90 seconds a side, just to firm the surface, then set aside.
The fish is nowhere near cooked here. It finishes in the rice.
Tip the rinsed rice into the onion stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest heat, cover tightly and cook for 12 minutes.
Lay the fish pieces on top of the rice, replace the lid and cook for a further 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave undisturbed for 10 minutes.
Do not lift the lid during the rest. The trapped steam is what finishes both the rice and the fish.
Meanwhile toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over a low heat for 3 minutes until golden, watching them constantly. Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, garlic and 4 tbsp cold water until it loosens into a pourable cream.
Tahini seizes and goes stiff when the liquid first hits it. Keep whisking and adding water and it comes back smooth.
Fluff the rice around the fish with a fork, then serve topped with the reserved crisp onions, the pine nuts and parsley, with the tahini sauce and lemon wedges alongside.