Sayyadieh / Fishermans rice
Ingredients
Fish Stock
- 2 White fish bones and head
- 2 Onions
- Bunch of thyme leaves
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 3 Celery leaves
- 2 Bay leaves
- 12 Black peppercorns
- 10 Cardamom pods
- 4-5 sprigs green onion
- Water
Black stock
- 4 Onions (blackened when fried in vegetable oil)
- 1.5 litres Fish stock
Rice
- 2 cups Rice
- 3 cups Black stock I use the 1:1.5 cup ratio for rice to liquid
- 1/2 tsp 7-spice
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp caraway
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp salt
To serve
- Handful Toasted pine nuts
- Tarator (Tahini & Lemon) sauce
- Slice of lemon
- Malfouf (cabbage) salad
Fish
- 6 Fillets Sea bass
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Caramelise the Onions (The Flavour Base)
- Thinly slice the onions and sauté them in a deep pot with oil over medium-high heat.
- Go Dark: Stir frequently for 15–20 minutes until they reach a dark chocolate colour. This provides the signature dark tint and earthy flavour to the rice.
- Reserve: Set aside a handful of these crispy onions on a paper towel to use later as a garnish.
Prepare the Rice
- Rinse & Soak: Use Sella rice; rinse until the water runs clear and soak it for 20–30 minutes to ensure it stays fluffy and doesn't get mushy.
- Spice the Pot: Add the drained rice to the remaining onions in the pot. Stir in spices.
- Simmer: Add 3 cups fish stock (use a 1:1.5 ratio of rice to liquid). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
- Steam: Remove from heat and let it sit covered for another 10 minutes to finish steaming.
Prepare the Fish
- Coat: Pat the Sea Bass fillets dry, add all the ingredients and let it sit for 30mins.
- Bake at 200 degrees (400F) for 10-15mins.
Toast the Garnish
- In a small pan, toast slivered almonds and pine nuts in a little oil or butter until golden and fragrant. Watch them closely, as they burn quickly.
Assemble & Serve
- Spread the spiced rice onto a large serving platter.
- Place the fish fillets on top (you can leave them whole or break them into large chunks).
- Garnish generously with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted nuts, and fresh chopped parsley.
- Drizzle a generous amount of tarator (a lemony tahini sauce) over the assembled dish and a fresh salad like lahana/malfouf (Cabbage salad)
To maximize the ingredients, after extracting the first batch of stock, I add another 1.5 litres of water and boil it again. This second batch is perfect for freezing and storing to use the next time I make Sayyadieh.
For the fish stock, i add any vegetables i have that i need to use up, it's a good way to make the most out of leftover veggies, onion skins etc.