Siyadieh, Hake & Onion Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 4 frozen hake fillets (about 150 g each)
• 280 g basmati rice
• 3 brown onions (about 150 g each)
• 3 tbsp olive oil (2 for the onions, 1 for the fish)
• 3 tsp ground cumin (2 for the rice, 1 for the fish)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 vegetable stock cube + 600 ml hot water
• 30 g flaked almonds
• 40 g tahini + 1 garlic clove (for the sauce)
• 1 lemon (for the juice)
• 10 g fresh parsley
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Sauté pan with lid
• Non-stick frying pan
• Colander
• Bowl
• Whisk

📖 Steps

1. Thaw the hake fillets the day before in the fridge, or for 1 hour in their tightly sealed bag submerged in cold water. Pat them dry thoroughly with kitchen paper: damp fish won't brown and will release water into the pan.
2. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water, stirring it with your fingers, until the water runs almost clear, then leave to drain. This rinsing removes the surface starch and stops the grains sticking together.
3. Thinly slice the onions. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the sauté pan over a medium heat, add the onions and a pinch of salt, then cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until dark brown and meltingly soft. Lower the heat if they catch: burnt onions would turn bitter.
4. Set aside about a third of the onions for the garnish. Add 2 tsp cumin and the cinnamon to the sauté pan, stir for 30 seconds, then pour in the 600 ml hot water and crumble in the stock cube. Simmer for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom: the stock turns a lovely amber colour.
5. Pour the rice into the simmering stock, stir just once, cover and cook for 12 minutes over a very low heat without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat and leave to rest, covered, for 10 minutes: the rice finishes swelling and absorbs all the stock.
6. Meanwhile, dry-toast the flaked almonds in the frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until pale golden and fragrant. Tip them straight onto a plate: they burn in seconds.
7. Make the sauce: in a bowl, mix the tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic and a pinch of salt. The sauce will first thicken and look as if it's splitting, which is normal: add 3 to 5 tbsp cold water, one at a time, whisking until you have a smooth, pourable cream.
8. Season the fillets with salt and pepper, then rub them with the last tsp of cumin. Heat the last tbsp of oil in the frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook the hake for 3 to 4 minutes on each side without moving it, until the flesh is white and flakes apart.
9. Divide the rice between the plates, place the hake in large pieces on top, then scatter over the reserved onions, toasted almonds and chopped parsley. Drizzle with tahini sauce and serve the rest of the sauce on the side.