Seafood is a big part of Emirati cuisine and this grilled fish eaten at the Bayt Al Wakeel restaurant that has been a heritage site since the 1930s promises to give you an authentic experience.
Guide to making grilled fish
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Ingredients for the marinade:
2 sea bream fish
80 ml fresh orange juice with pulp
40 ml lemon extract
10 gms lemon grass
10 gms Thai ginger
40 gms onions chopped
10 gms chopped green chilly
50 gms ginger paste
50 gms crushed ice
100 ml corn oil
1 pinch of salt
5 gms saffron
Method:
Sauce:
1. Combine all the ingredients and grind to form a smooth paste.
Preparing, marinating and grilling:
1. Clean the fish thoroughly and then carefully with a knife running through the side joint slit open from one side and cut it all the way from its neck to its tail. Put some slits over the fish skin as well.
2. Sprinkle the outside of the fish with salt and rub lemon to remove any strong fish odor.
3. Open the fish, with flesh side down and brush the marinade over the skin and the slits. Now turnover the fish, with skin side down and brush the marinade over the flesh, reserving some of the marinade to use at the final stage of grilling. Let the fish soak up the marinade for 30 minutes.
4. On a grill tray place aluminium foil as the base for the fish.
5. Preheat the grill at 200 °C. Place in the fish with skin side down first. Cook for 8 to 10minutes. Flip the fish over, flesh side down, and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until cooked through.
