Kinds of Dishes Made with Different Varieties of Fish

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CHAPTER 9

All Kinds of Dishes Made with Different Varieties of Fish

(228) Recipe for making samaka ṭaḥīniyya (fish with tahini sauce) [You will need] vinegar, aṭrāf ṭīb (spice blend), black pepper, saffron, and onion. Wash the fish, dust it with a bit of flour,1 and fry it in sesame oil [and set aside]. Pound black pepper and spices, add them to [chopped] onion, and fold them in. Dissolve tahini with vinegar and saffron, add it to the ḥawāyij (onion mixture), and let it boil. When it is done, put the [fried] fish in this [sauce].2

(229) Al-samaka al-kuzbariyya (fish with cilantro sauce) You need fresh fish, black pepper, garlic, cilantro, sesame oil, and onion. Wash the fish, [cut it into pieces], dust it with flour, and fry the pieces in sesame oil. [Set it aside and] let it cool. Now, take onion and chop it finely; pound cilantro and garlic; pound black pepper; and put it all in a frying pan, [with water as needed,] and fold it to- gether until it is cooked. The liquid added should make enough [sauce]. Pour the sauce over the fish.

(230) Al-samak al-zabībiyya (fish with raisins) You need fresh fish (samak ṭarī), raisins (zabīb), wine vinegar, aṭrāf ṭīb (spice blend), saffron, black pepper, almonds, and sesame oil. Wash the fish, dust it with flour, fry it, and [set it aside to] cool. Boil vinegar, and add raisins and black pepper, both pounded, along with the spices. Scald and skin the almonds, daub them with saffron [steeped in water], and add them [together]. Pour this [sauce] all over the fish.

(231) Al-samak al-laymūniyya (lemon fish) (65r) You need fresh fish, safflower seeds (qurṭum), lemon, mastic gum, cas- sia (dār Ṣīnī), and a sprig of mint. Pound the safflower seeds, [steep them in

1 The verb used here is yutabbal, usually used when spices (tawābil) are added. However, in the recipes in this chapter, this verb is also used when the fish is dusted with flour only. 2 In al-Warrāq’s cookbook, such sauces are called ṣibāgh, as in chapter 34.

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���8 | doi ��.��63/9789004349919_012 194 CHAPTER 9 water and] strain them. Put the [strained liquid] in a pot suspended over the fire. Squeeze the lemon, strain its juice and add it to the safflower [liquid]. Let them boil. Wash the fish, cut it into pieces, and immerse it in the [sauce] pot while it is still on the fire. Keep the fire going until the fish is done [i.e., poached], at which point you add the mastic gum, cassia, and mint.

(232) Al-samak al-mudaqqaqa (patties of pounded fish) You need fresh fish, black pepper, sesame oil, coriander, a small amount of sweet olive oil, and one onion. Wash the fish, remove all the small bones (shawk), and finely pound it in a mortar (hāwan). Pound black pepper and coriander, and add it to the fish, along with a small amount of sweet olive oil. Pound them all and make patties (mudaqqaqa) with them, shaped as rings and discs. Suspend the pot over the fire, put [water] in it and let it boil. Put the pat- ties in it and keep the fire going until they are cooked, and then take them out of the pot. Suspend a frying pan [on the fire], put sesame oil in it, and fry the fish [patties]. Arrange them on plates (ṣuḥūn). Pound coriander and salt, and sprinkle them on the patties.

(233) Recipe for samak maḥshī (fish smothered in sauce)3 Take fresh fish, clean it, and let it drain (65v) for an hour. Take vinegar, [pound- ed] garlic, and coriander. Smear the fish with them, set it aside for an hour, then coat it once again, this time with flour, and fry it in sesame oil. Pound black pepper and aṭrāf al-ṭīb (spice blend), add them to the [chopped] onion [that is frying], and stir them together. Dissolve tahini in vinegar along with saffron, add it to the ḥawāʾij (i.e., onion mixture) and let them boil. When [the sauce] is done, immerse the fried fish in it.

(234) Another recipe for samak maḥshī Take the fish, wash it, [and drain it]. Take caraway and coriander, [mix them as in recipe above], rub (yulaṭṭakh) the fish with them, and set it aside for an hour. Next, coat it with flour and fry it in sesame or olive oil. Now, take sumac and the rest of the sauce ingredients (ḥawāʾij [mentioned below]) of samak maḥshī, and mix them with lemon juice [put just enough to moisten them].4 Also, add [chopped] lemon preserved in salt (laymūn māliḥ),

3 See glossary 9.2 for more on maḥshī. 4 The recipe uses the verb latta, which suggests adding just enough to combine and moisten the ingredients.