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Fish singari (Alexandrian baked fish)
Samak singari: a whole fish split open and baked over tomatoes, peppers, garlic and cumin
Alexandrian fish restaurants list singari next to grilled and fried fish, and families along the coast bake it at home for Friday lunch, usually with sea bream, sea bass or a large bolti. The fishmonger splits the fish down the back and opens it flat, then it is smothered in a garlicky cumin and lemon paste and laid over sliced tomatoes, green peppers, onion and chilli. In the oven the vegetables soften into a juicy sauce underneath while the fish roasts on top, so you get tender flesh, a slightly charred skin and plenty of sauce for spooning over rice. Serve with white rice, tahini and bread. Chef's tip: give the vegetables 10 minutes in the oven on their own first; it drives off water so the fish roasts instead of steaming.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the fish
- 1 whole sea breamabout 1 kg, scaled, gutted and butterflied by the fishmonger
- 6 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 lemonjuiced
- 4 tbsp olive oildivided
- 1 ½ tsp saltdivided
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
For the vegetables
- 4 tomatoessliced 1 cm thick
- 2 green pepperscut into rings
- 1 onionsliced into rings
- 1 green chillisliced
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
- 1 lemon (optional)thinly sliced
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Fresh ingredients (6)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 6 garlic cloves, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp chilli flakes, 1 lemon, half of 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp of 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper into a paste.
Step 2: Pat 1 whole sea bream dry, open it out skin side down and make 3 shallow slashes in the thickest flesh. Rub the paste all over the inside and outside. Cover and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan). Spread 4 tomatoes, 2 green peppers, 1 onion and 1 green chilli in a roasting tin, drizzle with the rest of 2 tbsp olive oil, season with the rest of ½ tsp salt and roast for 10 minutes until starting to soften.
10 minStep 4: Lay the fish, opened out, skin side up on the vegetables and tuck 1 lemon around it.
Step 5: Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the skin is blistered and the flesh at the thickest point is opaque and flakes easily from the bone. The most common mistake is pulling it too early: check right next to the backbone.
28 minStep 6: Scatter over 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and bring the tin to the table, spooning the tomato juices over each portion.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fish singari (Alexandrian baked fish) take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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