Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner
Sayadieh
صيادية
Tender spiced white fish served over fragrant rice cooked in a deep, golden onion broth, finished with toasted pine nuts and crispy caramelised onions. It is a lighter take on the Lebanese coastal classic, made with much less oil.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 54% · Fat 20% · Protein 26%
Track it in BerryFit and see how it fits your own daily target. Get the app ›
Ingredients
For 4 servings- 4 fillets (about 600 g)Cod or other firm white fish fillets, skinless
- 3 large450 gYellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp27 gOlive oil
- 1 1/2 cups285 gWhite basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups590 gWater
- 2 tspGround cumin
- 1 tspGround allspice
- 1 tspGround coriander
- 1/2 tspGround cinnamon
- 1 leafBay leaf
- 1 1/4 tsp8 gSalt
- 1/2 tspBlack pepper, ground
- 2 tbsp17 gPine nuts
- 1 medium100 gLemon
- 1/4 cup10 gFresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
Steps
- 1
Heat oven to 200 °C / 400 °F and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- 2
Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat.
- 3
Add the sliced onions with a pinch of the salt and cook, stirring often, for 25 minutes until deep golden brown; add a splash of the measured water if they start to catch.
- 4
Lift out about a third of the onions and set aside for garnish.
- 5
Add the rest of the water and the bay leaf to the pot, simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the bay leaf and blend the onions and liquid until smooth.
- 6
Return the onion broth to the pot, stir in the cumin, allspice, coriander, cinnamon, pepper and 1 tsp of the salt, and bring to a boil.
- 7
Stir in the rinsed rice, cover, reduce to the lowest heat and cook for 18-20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
- 8
While the rice cooks, place the fish on the tray, brush with the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil and season with the remaining salt and a pinch of cumin from the jar if you like.
- 9
Squeeze juice from half the lemon over the fish and bake for 12-15 minutes until it flakes easily and reaches 63 °C / 145 °F inside.
- 10
Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, shaking, until golden.
- 11
Take the rice off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- 12
Spoon the rice onto a platter, lay the fish on top and scatter with the reserved onions, pine nuts and parsley.
- 13
Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges and serve alongside.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use haddock, sea bass or tilapia instead of cod if that is easier to find or cheaper.
- Swap the pine nuts for toasted slivered almonds, which are traditional in many versions and easier to shop for.
- Use brown basmati in place of white, adding about 1/2 cup more water and cooking 35-40 minutes.
- For a nut-free plate, leave out the pine nuts and add extra crispy onions or toasted pumpkin seeds instead.
Storage
Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate the rice and fish separately in airtight containers within 1 hour. Eat the rice within 24 hours and the fish within 2 days, reheating only once until steaming hot all the way through. The fish is best eaten fresh, and freezing is not recommended as it turns dry and the rice texture suffers.
Make ahead
Caramelise the onions and blend the onion broth up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, along with the reserved garnish onions. Toast the pine nuts a few days ahead and store them in an airtight jar at room temperature.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
Track this in BerryFit
Log Sayadieh in one tap and see how it fits your remaining calories for today.
Or ask Coach Berry to change it
Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Fish
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (522 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 532 kcal | 102 kcal |
| Protein | 34.2 g | 6.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 71.9 g | 13.8 g |
| of which sugars | 5.7 g | 1.1 g |
| Fiber | 4.4 g | 0.8 g |
| Fat | 11.7 g | 2.2 g |
| of which saturated | 1.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Sodium | 826 mg | 158 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
