Fihunu Mas

Ingredients

Fish

• 2whole reef fish, about 800 g each
• or 4 fish steaks
• juice of 3 limes
• 2 teaspoonssalt

Chilli paste

• 8dried red chillies, soaked
• or 3 tablespoons chilli powder
• 6garlic cloves
• 3cm ginger
• 1onion, roughly chopped
• 20curry leaves
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoonground turmeric
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoonsalt

To serve

• lime wedges
• roshi, Maldivian flatbread
• or rice
• onion and chilli salad

Directions

1. Scale the fish from tail to head. Gut it and rinse the cavity thoroughly. Pull out the dark line along the backbone. That line goes bitter if it is left in. Trim the fins with kitchen scissors. Pat the whole fish dry with kitchen paper. Cut three or four deep slashes into each side.
2. Cut right down to the bone each time. Those slashes let the heat into thick flesh. Rub lime juice and salt into every slash. Soak the dried chillies in hot water. Give them twenty minutes to soften.
3. Drain them and remove the stems. Put them in a blender or a mortar. Add the garlic, ginger and onion. Add the curry leaves and the ground spices.
4. Add the oil, lime juice and salt. Blend or pound it into a thick paste. It should be thick and spreadable. Add more chilli powder if it is loose. Add a little oil if it is too stiff. It should be strongly flavoured and hot.
5. Rub the paste all over the fish. Work it into the cavity as well. Let it sit for about one full hour. Longer than two hours and the lime cooks it. Keep it cold while it marinates. Let it burn right down to embers. Wait until the coals are covered in grey ash. Spread the embers into an even bed.
6. Oil the grill bars well before the fish goes on. Fish skin sticks to a dry grill immediately. Lay the fish on and leave it completely alone. Give it about eight minutes on the first side.
7. Turn it once only with a wide slice. Give it another eight minutes. Baste it with leftover paste as it cooks. Judging when it is done is straightforward. Set the whole fish out on a platter. Serve roshi alongside it as well.

Technique

• Coconut husk is the traditional fuel, left over from every coconut opened, and it burns hot and long while giving a distinct smoky flavour.
• The Maldives fishes tuna mostly by pole and line, a one fish at a time method with far less bycatch than netting, and the country is known internationally for it.
• The fish must be scored to the bone, since an unscored whole fish burns on the outside before the thick flesh cooks through.

Substitutions

• Ordinary charcoal works perfectly well in place of coconut husk.
• Any firm whole fish grills the same way, and steaks work at a smaller size.

Variations

• Some cooks add Maldive fish flakes to the paste for extra depth.
• A version wrapped in banana leaf and grilled is also made.
• Similar chilli-rubbed grilled fish is cooked across the Indian Ocean.

History

Whole reef fish scored, rubbed with chilli paste and grilled over coconut husk coals on the beach.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fihunu Mas?

Fihunu Mas is a main from Maldives: fish basted with chili paste and grilled over coals. Whole reef fish scored, rubbed with chilli paste and grilled over coconut husk coals on the beach.

How long does Fihunu Mas take to make?

Fihunu Mas takes 30 minutes plus marinating of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Fihunu Mas?

Yes, within limits. Ordinary charcoal works perfectly well in place of coconut husk. Any firm whole fish grills the same way, and steaks work at a smaller size.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fihunu Mas?

Scale the fish from tail to head. Gut it and rinse the cavity thoroughly. Pull out the dark line along the backbone. That line goes bitter if it is left in. Trim the fins with kitchen scissors. Pat the whole fish dry with kitchen paper. Cut three or four deep slashes into each side.