Samak safi

Ingredients

The fish

• 4whole safi
• rabbitfish, scaled and gutted
• about 400 g each
• see the safety note
• or sea bream

The marinade

• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm ginger, grated
• juice of 3 limes
• 2 teaspoonsground turmeric
• 2 teaspoonsground cumin
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• 1 teaspoonchilli powder
• or to taste
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• salt

The fire

• charcoal
• a fish grill basket
• or an oiled wire rack

To serve

• rice
• lime wedges
• raw onion and chilli
• flatbread

Directions

1. Cut the spiny fins off with scissors. Hold the fish by the head or tail. Immerse the wound in hot water. Heat breaks down the venom protein. Hot water immersion is the standard advice.
2. Use kitchen scissors rather than a knife. Cut the dorsal fin off close to the back. Cut the other fins off as well. Hold the fish by the head as you do it. Wrap the cut fins before binning them. Rinse the fish inside and out. Rinse the whole cavity thoroughly.
3. Remove any remaining blood line. Pat the whole fish completely dry. Use plenty of kitchen paper for it. Cut deep slashes into each side. Cut three or four on each side.
4. Cut right down almost to the bone. Crush the garlic to a paste with salt. Salt gives the blade something to work on. Use the flat of a large knife. Combining it is straightforward enough. Mix the garlic with the grated ginger. Add the lime juice and all the spices. Add the oil to make it into a paste. Wear gloves if that concerns you.
5. Rub the marinade all over the fish. Work it right into the slashes. Rub it inside the cavity as well. Cover every single part of the fish. Be genuinely thorough about it. Wait until it glows under grey ash. That is what the method needs.
6. Heat it thoroughly before starting. Oil the grill bars thoroughly. Rub the bars with an oiled cloth. Use tongs to hold the oiled cloth. Oil the fish skin itself as well. Lay the fish on the hot grill. A four hundred gram fish takes ten minutes. Turn the whole fish once only. Turn it in one confident movement. Brush the reserved marinade on as it cooks. Stop basting two minutes before the end.
7. Check it at the very thickest point. Fish should reach sixty-three degrees. Check it at the very thickest part. It goes dry and falls right apart. Take it off as soon as it flakes. Do not leave it on any longer. Serve the whole fish on a platter. Warm flatbread is served as well. Leftovers keep two days refrigerated. Flake the cold flesh off the bones.

Technique

• Rabbitfish carry venomous spines in the dorsal and other fins, causing genuinely painful stings, and the venom does not break down quickly — a dead fish on ice can still sting. Ask the fishmonger to trim the spiny fins, which most do as standard, or cut them off yourself with kitchen scissors holding the fish by the head. Wrap the cut fins before binning them, since they can still sting whoever handles the rubbish.
• If stung, immerse the wound in water as hot as can be safely tolerated for thirty to ninety minutes, which breaks down the venom protein and is the documented standard advice. Do not use water hot enough to scald and test it on unaffected skin first, since the pain can mask a burn. Seek medical help if the sting is severe or a spine broke off.
• Fish sticks badly to a grill and the skin tears when turned. Get the grill genuinely hot, oil the bars with an oiled cloth held in tongs just before the fish goes on, pat the fish completely dry, and do not move it at all until a crust has formed — it releases itself when ready. A fish grill basket solves the problem entirely.

Substitutions

• Sea bream is the nearest substitute, with similar delicate white flesh that grills whole well and no venomous spines at all.
• Stop basting with the reserved marinade two minutes before the end so the last coat cooks through, since it has touched raw fish, or boil it first.

Variations

• Score three or four deep diagonal slashes almost to the bone on each side, which lets the marinade penetrate and helps a thick fish cook evenly. Rub the marinade into the slashes and the cavity as well as over the skin.
• Marinate thirty minutes to two hours but no longer, since the lime starts to cure the flesh — acid firms and whitens fish, which is how ceviche is made, and it changes the texture considerably.
• Fish overcooks very quickly and goes dry: take it off as soon as the flesh is opaque throughout and flakes from the bone, or reaches sixty-three degrees at the thickest point.

History

Safi from Bahraini waters is prized above other fish and grilled whole over charcoal.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samak safi?

Samak safi is a main from Bahrain: grilled rabbitfish, the island’s favourite catch, served with rice and lime. Safi from Bahraini waters is prized above other fish and grilled whole over charcoal.

How long does Samak safi take to make?

Samak safi 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 Samak safi?

Yes, within limits. Sea bream is the nearest substitute, with similar delicate white flesh that grills whole well and no venomous spines at all. Stop basting with the reserved marinade two minutes before the end so the last coat cooks through, since it has touched raw fish, or boil it first.

What is the most important thing to get right in Samak safi?

Use kitchen scissors rather than a knife. Cut the dorsal fin off close to the back. Cut the other fins off as well. Hold the fish by the head as you do it. Wrap the cut fins before binning them. Rinse the fish inside and out. Rinse the whole cavity thoroughly.