Samak Bel Rada is an easy Egyptian bran-coated fish dish that bursts with Mediterranean flavors and carries a memorable smokey note.
Samak Bel Rada is a piece of food memoirs
Growing up in Alexandria, the second-largest city in Egypt, I was lucky to watch the pleasant traces of what is now a bygone cosmopolitan era.
In the first half of the twentieth century, Alexandria (also nicknamed “The Mediterranean Bride”) served as a safe haven for multiple thriving Western communities such as Greek, Italian, and Armenian, just to name a few.
The Alexandrian cuisine graciously embraced the multiple influences of the city’s vibrant cultural mosaic, which led to a large array of unique dishes that are yet to be as celebrated by the world.
What is Samak Bel Rada
Samak means fish and Bel Rada means with bran, together Samak Bel Rada means Fish with Bran or more accurately coated with bran.
Grilled Bran-Coated Fish is one distinct Egyptian dish. Other than its delectable taste, it conjures up a vivid childhood scene— an unmistakable wafting smell of the charred bran skin mixed with the sea fresh breeze in a late afternoon, while my family and I sat at a rustic table at Kadoura, the legendary fish restaurant in Alexandria.
What makes the fish dish so unique is the bran coating. Eventually, the bran cloak in this recipe is both a protector and a flavoring.
The bran protects the delicate fish flesh from drying while it roasts, giving the right amount of time for the marinade to amply infuse the fish. Additionally, When the ban coating is broiled, it infuses the fish with an exotic smokey notes that rounds the flavors of this dish.
To get a full picture, you can this food story and the recipe of Samak Bel Rada here.
How to make Samak Bel Rada
Making Samak Bel Rada doesn’t call for any advanced cooking skills. It is a forgiving recipe that is good to use with either branzino, red snapper or sea bass. So roll up your sleeves and let us dig in.
Step 1
Marinate the fish
Combine all the marinade ingredients (in the recipe below) in the container of the food processor and blend to a fine smooth paste. With a sharp knife make several diagonal slits along the fish and on both sides. With gloved hands thoroughly massage the fish inside out with the marinade. Let the fish sit in the marinade for no more than 30 minutes in the fridge.
Step 2
Cover the fish with bran
Carefully sprinkle the bran over the fish trying to leave the head and tail intact. With gloved hands press the bran onto the surface of the fish. The oily marinade will help the bran stick to the fish skin. Evenly pour the rest of the marinade over the bran.
Step 3
Assemble the dish
Arrange in a sheet pan slices of lemon or lime, whole sprigs of celery, oregano or thyme, slices of potatoes, 1 cup of hot water. Place the metal rack on top and then place the fish. The hot water will keep the fish moist and tender.
Step 4
Roast & Broil
In a preheated oven at 375°F roast the fish for 20 to 30 minutes or until it is fork-tender and the translucent fish flesh has turned white.
To crisp up the fish skin, turn on the oven broil and broil the fish up for 5 minutes, or until the fish skin looks like beaming charcoal.
Step 5
Garnish & Serve the fish
Transfer the fish to a large oblong or rectangle serving dish, garnish with wedges of lemon/lime and green aromatic herbs. Serve the fish along with Salata Baladi (Egyptian green salad), Tahini sauce.
For an epic full meal, pair Samak Bel Rada with Egyptian Ruz Sayadeya (Egyptian seafood rice).
Alternative to the broil, you can use a kitchen torch to burn the bran coating until it is charred.
This recipe is foolproof and approved by my picky family. I believe the photo below says it all.
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Samak Bel Rada (Egyptian Bran-Coated Fish)
Serves 4 people
INGREDIENTS
- 1 whole sea bass, branzino or a red snapper, gutted & cleaned
For The Marinade
- 1 cup of mixed herbs (leaves of celery, parsley, leaves, and dill)
- The juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon of smoked or sweet paprika
- ½-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Bran-Coated fish
½-1 cup bran (depends on the size of the fish)
For Assembling The dish
Celery stalks and leaves
Thyme leaves
Slices of lemon or lime
1/2 cup of water, if needed
TOOLS
- Baking sheet with a fitted metal rack
- Sharp knife
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Make the Marinade: Combine all the marinade ingredients in the container of the food processor and blend to a fine smooth paste.
3. Marinate the fish: With a sharp knife make several diagonal slits along the fish and on both sides. With gloved hands thoroughly massage the fish inside out with the marinade. Let the fish sit in the marinade for no more than 30 minutes in the fridge.
4. Coat the fish with the bran: Carefully sprinkle the bran over the fish trying to leave the head and tail intact. With gloved hands press the bran onto the surface of the fish. The oily marinade will help the bran stick to the fish skin. Evenly pour the rest of the marinade over the bran.
5. Assemble the dish: Arrange in a sheet pan slices of lemon or lime, whole springs of celery or fresh herbs. Place the metal rack on top and then place the two pieces of fish.
6. Roast: In a preheated oven, roast the fish for 20 to 30 minutes or until it is fork-tender and the translucent flesh has turned white.
7. Broil the fish: To crip up the fish skin, turn on the oven broil and broil the fish up for 5-7 minutes, until the fish skin looks like beaming charcoal.
8. Serve the fish: Transfer the fish to a large oblong or rectangle serving dish, garnish with wedges of lemon/lime and green aromatic herbs. Serve the fish along with “Salata Baladi” Egyptian green salad and tahini sauce.