Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 whole fish or fillets of firm, non-oily white fish – red snapper is ideal
- ***
- 6 Tbsp. Hirshon Yemeni hawaij seasoning for fish, made from:
- 3 Tbsp. black pepper, dry-roasted and ground to a fine powder
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin, dry-roasted and ground to a fine powder
- 5 tsp. Indian football-shaped coriander seeds, dry-roasted and ground to a fine powder
- 3 tsp. Ethiopian wild turmeric
- 4 tsp. sweet paprika
- 1 tsp. Aleppo pepper flakes, ground to a fine powder
- 4 cloves, dry-roasted and ground to a fine powder
- 3 tsp. fenugreek seeds, dry-roasted and ground to a fine powder
- 8 shelled cardamon seed pods, seeds removed from pod, dry-roasted and ground to a fine powder
- 1 bay leaf, stiff central vein discarded and ground to a fine powder
- Combine all spices together, reserving leftover amount for tableside garnish
- ***
- 1 lemon
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. walnut oil mixed with 2 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- hickory wood chips (if grilling) or 1/2 tsp. hickory liquid smoke (if broiling)
- aluminum foil
- ***
- For serving:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1/8 cup honey or to taste
- 1 piece injera bread (optional, is used in the classic recipe but can be omitted if hard to get)
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- A sprinkling of freshly-grated nutmeg
- Crushed pistachios
- ***
- 2 Indian chapati bread
- Maldon sea salt flakes to taste
Instructions
- If grilling, and you should be, heat the grill early enough to get it REALLY hot (this takes about an hour or so using natural charcoal). Soak hickory chips for one hour in water. If broiling, preheat the broiler.
- If using whole snapper (and you should be!), have the fishmonger clean, scale and gut the fish, then butterfly it at the spine.
- Place the fish on a plate or in bowl and squeeze ½ a lemon over each, then brush on the combined walnut/olive oil mixture over the flesh and skin. If broiling, combine the liquid smoke with the oils before brushing it on.
- Sprinkle the 6 Tbsp. of hawaij seasoning evenly over the flesh of the fish. Marinate covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and preferably 3 hours.
- If using fillets – wrap them in foil, then put in a covered grill for ~10 minutes (foil to prevent it from flaking apart on the grill). Alternatively, broil until done.
- If using a whole fish (this is highly preferable!), place on the grill directly or in tinfoil, and cook for 10-20 minutes or until firm. Alternatively, broil until done.
- In the meantime, peel and cut the bananas into 1 inch pieces crosswise, then fry in olive oil for 4-5 minutes until golden brown on each side, and soft-ish to a fork. Add butter, honey and nutmeg and mash lightly. Crush injera into the purée, if using it.
- Place the chapatis in a warm oven to maintain heat.
- When all items are done, place a chapati on the plate, put the fish and banana puree on it and garnish the purée with crushed pistachios, then salt the fish to taste with the Maldon sea salt flakes and enjoy!