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sayyadieh
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Sayyadieh / Fishermans rice

Course Main Course
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword Lebanese

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.

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