Best Fish Sayadiyeh

Ingredients

• 1 large fish, as desired
• Oil
• 1 large onion
• Seasonings for boiling the fish bones or any fish heads and bones: 1 carrot, 1 bay leaf, 1 onion (optional)
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• A pinch of fish spice
• A pinch of black pepper
• A pinch of mixed spice (seven-spice blend)
• A pinch of cinnamon
• A pinch of ground nutmeg
• A pinch of ground cardamom
• A pinch of ground cloves
• Short-grain rice
• Nuts for topping: pine nuts or whatever is available
• A pinch of chopped parsley or fresh cilantro for garnish
• This wonderful recipe for the best fish sayadiyeh comes from a friend and cook at the What Are We Cooking Today website:
• Sana Qaddour
• For more of Sana's recipes, you can visit her profile page on our site by clicking on her name
• You can also prepare fish another way, Sana-style, by clicking the following link Spicy Fish
• Here is another recipe from Sana: Chicken Rib with Fluffy Rice

Method

1. Fry the large fish in plenty of oil until browned
2. When the fish has cooled, remove the bones, head, and tail and set the flesh aside
3. Discard the tail and keep the head and bones to make the stock
4. In a pot over the heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 large chopped onion, and stir until it becomes very dark brown. Then add plenty of water, the fish head and bones, the seasonings, the chicken bouillon cube, and all the spices
5. Let them boil over medium heat long enough for the water to turn dark brown and for there to still be plenty of liquid left to cook the rice
6. Strain the mixture and keep only the stock, discarding the rest
7. In a pot over the heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the washed rice, soaked for at least 1 hour and well drained
   Timers: 60 min
8. Add salt over the rice and stir until the rice is lightly toasted, then add the fish stock at a ratio of 1 cup stock for every 1 cup rice (because it is short-grain and soaked; if using basmati rice and not soaking it, the stock ratio will differ)
9. Cook over high heat until the rice comes to a strong boil and the stock level reaches the rice, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and leave it for about 20 minutes over very low heat
   Timers: 20 min
10. Turn the rice out onto a serving platter and top with the fish fillet or flesh and the pine nuts or any other fried nuts
11. Garnish with parsley or cilantro, as desired, and serve the sayadiyeh with tahini sauce or tarator