Fish With Rice And Onion Sauce Recipes

SAYADIEH

Steps:

• In a large deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat and fry the chopped onions until lightly golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
• Rinse the rice, then transfer to the pot of onions. Season with salt, pepper, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon and ginger. Toss well to combine and toast the rice lightly with the spices, about 5 minutes.
• Add 4 cups water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered until the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Allow the rice to rest in the pot for about 5 minutes, without opening the lid, to absorb all the liquid and steam.
• While the rice is cooking, season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Fry on a skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, working in two batches to avoid over-crowding the skillet.
• Serve the cooked fish broken up in chunks or whole on top of the rice mixture. Add toasted almond and parsley on top.

TOMATILLO-POACHED FISH WITH CILANTRO LIME RICE

Steps:

• Stir together the rice, 3 cups water, 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until fluffy and tender, about 20 minutes.
• Bring a large straight-sided skillet or saute pan filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add the tomatillos and cook until softened and slightly pale, about 4 minutes. Drain the tomatillos and put in a blender along with the onion, 1 jalapeno, garlic, cilantro stems and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Put the lid on the blender, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the tomatillo salsa back into the same skillet or saute pan and set over medium heat.
• Season the fish fillets on all sides with 2 teaspoons salt. Nestle the fish in the tomatillo salsa, cover and cook until the fish is opaque and there is no resistance when a paring knife is inserted, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Reserve 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves for garnish and chop the remaining cilantro leaves to yield 1/4 cup.
• When the rice is done, use a fork to fluff it, then stir in the lime zest, lime juice and the 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Keep warm.
• Generously coat a small saute pan with oil and heat over medium high until shimmering. Add a pinch of flour to the oil. If it sizzles, the oil is ready for frying. Line a small plate with paper towels.
• Thinly slice the 2 remaining jalapeños crosswise. Put the flour in a small bowl. Working in batches, coat the jalapeño slices in the flour, then fry on each side until the seeds are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes total. Transfer to the prepared plate and season with a pinch of salt.
• To serve, put a quarter of the rice on left side of a wide shallow bowl, spoon a quarter of the tomatillo salsa on the right side and use a spatula to carefully place 1 fish fillet on top. Repeat with the remaining rice, salsa and fish. Garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and a fried jalapeño slices.

FISH WITH RICE AND ONION SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, fry the onions in 2 1/2 tablespoons oil over low heat, with the lid on until they are soft and transparent, stirring occasionally. Then take off the lid and let them get very dark brown and caramelized. Blend them to a cream in the food processor and return this to the pan.
• Add about 4 1/2 cups boiling water and the crumbled bouillon cubes; season with salt, pepper, cumin, and allspice, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Pour out the onion stock to measure the quantity you need for cooking the rice. Return 2 1/2 cups to the pan, and put the rest aside to use as the sauce. Add the rice and some salt, stir well, and cook, covered, over a low heat, for about 10 to 18 minutes, until the rice is tender. (Some brands that claim not to be parboiled or precooked now take as little as 8 to 10 minutes, so read the information on the package.) Set it aside until you are ready to serve.
• Pan-fry the fish fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper, in the remaining oil, for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until the flesh just begins to flake. Squeeze a little lemon juice over them. Fry the pine nuts in a drop of oil until lightly browned. Reheat the onion sauce, adding a little lemon juice to taste.
• Serve the rice heaped in a mound with the sauce poured over. Arrange the pieces of fish on top or around the rice and sprinkle with the pine nuts.
• A way of preparing the dish in advance is to layer it in a deep baking dish-pine nuts first, then fish, then rice-and heat it through in the oven. Turn it out upside down just before serving, and serve the sauce separately.
• You can accompany the dish with the tahini sauce on page 290 as well as its brown sauce.
• For a "white" version of the same dish, the onions should be meltingly soft, but should not be allowed to brown.