I grew up with a father that fished and hunted so I am not unfamiliar with guts and eyeballs on foodstuff. But honestly, the first time I remember seeing a whole fish on a plate was probably when I was 10 or 11 years old, visiting Daddy in Venezuela or Peru and my stepmother not only ordered a whole fish but she popped out the eyeball and ate it with relish saying it was a delicacy. Needless to say, as a child, I was repulsed. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of the fish though!
Then when we lived in Abu Dhabi back in late Eighties and I was the editor at a small publishing house, my boss was an Omani gentleman who taught me that the sweetest part of the fish was the cheek, which is found behind the eye in a little pocket. I always go for that little piece first because he was so right. (Thanks, Saleh!) If you’ve never cooked a whole fish, I’d like to encourage you to try it. There is no way a fish filet can be as tasty as a whole fish cooked on the bones. If the eyes really offend you, get your fish guy to cut off the head, but leave the rest of the fish intact.
Our theme is grilling this week but I wanted especially to make something from the United Arab Emirates, since this is home right now. This recipe comes to me from a fellow Texan who married an Emirati and moved to the UAE. Her blog is filled with delicious local fare, with complete explanations and photos, and is a treasure trove of ideas for anyone interested in Emirati cooking. MaryAnn is a sweetheart and I am grateful to her for her advice and expertise. You can find her blog at Emiratican Kitchen. She hasn't updated in a while because she is a beautiful seamstress and that has become her focus. but the recipes are all still there. If you leave her a comment, please tell her Stacy sent you.
In Arabic, red snapper is hamra, grilled is meshwiya and stuffing is hashwa, so this is hashwa meshwiyah m’a hashwa or as MaryAnn put it more simply, grilled hamra with hashwa. Whatever you call it, it is delicious! For her recipe, I was supposed to use a large red snapper of one kilo or about 2.2 pounds, but sometimes those are hard to come by. I substituted two smaller snappers so the cooking time was much shorter. And since we were just two eating that night, I ended up freezing the second one. It made a beautiful dinner another night.
Grilled Red Snapper with Cilantro and Onion Stuffing
Grilling a whole fish with scales on keeps it from sticking to the hot grill. Stuffing it with onions, cilantro and spices infuses the whole fish with lovely flavors and keeps it from drying out on the grill.
Ingredients
Hamra (Red Snapper) 2 lbs plus or 1 kg - or larger (Whole – do not scale or trim fins)
For the stuffing:
1 medium-sized onion
1 medium-sized green bell pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 thumb-sized knob fresh ginger
1 bunch cilantro or fresh coriander
1/4 cup or 60ml extra virgin olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin powder
Method
Gut the fish from the belly to leave a space for the stuffing. (I let the fish guy at my local market do this job for me.) Make sure to leave the scales on so the fish won’t stick to the grill.
Chop your onion and bell pepper finely. Peel and mince your garlic and ginger. Wash your cilantro thoroughly and trim off the end hard woody ends of the stems. Chop the stems of the cilantro very finely and then chop the leaves roughly.
In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly mix the onion, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic and ginger with all of the spices and the olive oil.
Fill the cavity in the fish with the stuffing.
Using a large needle and some kitchen string (I used poultry string, normally used for trussing a chicken for roasting) sew sides of the fish belly back together. (I could not find my large needles, so I used an ice pick to poke the holes. Then I put the stuffing in and tied the knots.)
Meanwhile, light your fire in the barbecue pit. When the coals are light grey all around the edges, they are ready.
Place the fish on the grill and put the cover on the pit with a little opening to make sure there is enough air getting in so you don’t smother the coals.
Put a knife in at the thickest part and look at the bones to make sure the fish is cooked all the way down. When the fish meat is completely white and opaque, the fish is done.
To serve, peel the charred skin and scales off with a knife and lift the meat off the bones.
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| Lift the meat off the bones with a knife or spatula. |
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| Lift the bones off to get to the other side. |
Enjoy!
Easy BBQ Recipes
Best Burgers and Sandwiches
- Barbecue Rib Burgers with Low Carb Sauce by My Life Cookbook
- Caribbean Jerk Chicken Burgers by Simple and Savory
- Guava-Ale BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich by Gourmet Everyday
- Turkapple Burgers with Yumback Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Grill Master Mains
- Grilled Red Snapper with Cilantro and Onion Stuffing by Food Lust People Love
- Honey Glazed Chicken Kabobs by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Homemade Coleslaw by A Mind Full Mom
- Spicy Grilled Leg of Lamb by Sunday Supper Movement
Mop Worthy Sauces
- Blueberry Sriracha Barbecue Sauce by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Homemade “End of Season” Ketchup by What Smells So Good?
Searing Starters and Sides
- Campfire Corn and Tomatoes by Cricket’s Confections
- Grilled Lime Beer Ritas with Smoky Lime Salt by Our Good Life
- Honey Chipotle BBQ Wings by Soulfully Made
- Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce by Asian In America
Sizzling Sweets
- All-American Pie Shooter Trio by The Crumby Cupcake
- Flourless Fudge Brownies by Pies and Plots
- Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone by Caroline’s Cooking
- Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Mini No Bake Coconut Cheescakes by Jonesin’ For Taste
