Mutabbaq Samak

About This Recipe

Mutabbaq Samak (Arabic: 'layered fish') is one of Kuwait's most celebratory seafood preparations, reserved for Fridays, Eids, and family gatherings. A large sea bass or grouper is scored and marinated in a paste of turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic, and chilli, then baked or pan-cooked until the skin crackles. Beneath the fish, long-grain rice is cooked in a saffron-tinted broth that has absorbed the spiced onions and date paste, creating a deeply flavoured, golden rice that is at least as important as the fish itself. The dish is served on a huge tray: golden rice mounded at the base, the whole fish draped on top, crowned with caramelised onions and toasted nuts.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 wholesea bass or grouper (~1.2 kg), scaled and scored
• 2 cupsbasmati rice, soaked 30 min
• 3 largeonions, thinly sliced
• 3 tbspoil or ghee
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspcumin
• 1 tspcoriander
• ½ tspchilli flakes
• ½ tspcinnamon
• 1½ tspsalt
• juice of 1lemon
• ½ tspsaffron, bloomed in 3 tbsp warm water
• 3.5 cupsfish or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsptamarind paste
• ¼ cuptoasted almonds
• fresh corianderto garnish

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the fish

   Mix together turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilli flakes, cinnamon, half the garlic, salt, and lemon juice into a paste. Rub inside the fish cavity and into the score marks. Marinate 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Caramelise the onions

   In a large wide pot, fry sliced onions in ghee over medium heat until deep golden-brown, 20 minutes. Remove half for garnish. To the remaining onions add the rest of the garlic, tamarind paste, and saffron water; cook 2 minutes.

3. 3

   Cook the rice

   Add stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Drain rice and add to the pot. Stir once, cover tightly, and cook on very low heat for 18 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Cook the fish

   While rice cooks, heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Pan-fry marinated fish 4–5 minutes per side until the skin is crisp and golden and the flesh flakes easily. Alternatively, roast at 210 °C for 20–25 minutes.

5. 5

   Plate and serve

   Mound rice onto a large platter. Lay the whole cooked fish on top. Scatter reserved caramelised onions and toasted almonds over. Garnish with coriander and lemon wedges.

Variations

• •

  Use shrimp instead of whole fish for a quicker weeknight version.

• •

  Add diced potato to the rice base for a heartier dish.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best fresh. Refrigerate fish and rice separately up to 2 days. Reheat fish in a hot pan to restore crispness.

Frequently Asked Questions