OJEIJAT AL-HÛT
ALGERIA
I wonder if these fish cakes are not a remnant from Algeria’s French colonial days. They are remarkably plain for an Algerian recipe. Regardless, they are delicious, and make a lovely light meal served with a green salad. They are also great for picnics.
SERVES 4
10½ ounces (300 g) potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
Sea salt
14 ounces (400 g) whitefish fillets
¼ lemon
6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter, plus more for frying the fish cakes
3 medium onions (1 pound/450 g total), grated on the fine side of a grater
A few sprigs flat-leaf parsley, most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
3 organic eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Finely ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
All-purpose flour, for dredging
1. Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Bring to a boil over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon salt, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until completely tender but not falling apart. Drain and mash. Keep covered with a clean kitchen towel.
2. Put the fish and the lemon in a small pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and let the water bubble gently for about 3 minutes, or until the skin comes off easily and the fish flakes easily. Remove the fish from the water and discard the skin. Flake the fish and place the flakes on a plate. Drain off any excess liquid from the plate.
3. Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the grated onion and cook, stirring very often, until lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to let the onion burn or it will be bitter. Add the parsley and stir for a few seconds more.
4. Put the mashed potatoes in a medium pot and add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Place over medium heat and stir the mash until the butter has melted and is fully incorporated. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the flaked fish, the fried onion and parsley, beaten eggs, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Shape the fish cakes into disks 2½ inches (6 cm) across by 1¼ inches (3 cm) thick and place on a platter.
5. Set a fine-mesh wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Place a large skillet over medium heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom. Put some flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. When the oil is hot, dip the fish cakes into the seasoned flour on both sides. Shake off the excess flour and slip into the hot oil. Fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden. If your pan is not large enough to cook all the cakes at once, work in batches, wiping the pan clean and adding more oil in between each one. Remove the cakes to the wire rack to drain off any excess oil. Serve hot.
EGYPTIAN FERMENTED FISH
FESIKH
EGYPT
Fesikh or feseekh is a fermented fish that is beloved by Egyptians, although not by most other people, who find it too pungent. I rather like it, but in small quantities. Fesikh is served during the Sham-El-Nessim festival, a spring celebration that dates back to the time of the Pharaohs. It is prepared by a specialist known as a fasakhani who uses grey mullet—fesikh can be toxic if not prepared and stored properly. People eat it with aysh baladi (thick whole wheat pita), diced onions, and lemon juice. I am not giving a recipe for how to make it here as it is not so easy (nor so safe) to prepare if you are not familiar with the process. But it is worth knowing about, and if you can source it, try it. The larger the fish, the better the fesikh because of the fat content. It is made by first soaking the fish to get rid of all traces of blood. Then it is put to dry in the sun or in the sand, before being salted and fermented.
IRANIAN/ARABIAN FISH SAUCE
MEHYAWA OR MAHYAWA
IRAN | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | BAHRAIN
Mehyawa—a fish sauce that is made by seasoning salted anchovies with various spices such as cumin, coriander, and cumin seeds to achieve a rather thick dark brown sauce and then fermenting them—originally comes from Iran. It was brought to the Arabian Gulf by the Arab Huwala and Ajam communities who migrated there. It is an acquired taste for those not familiar with it, just like Asian fermented fish sauces. In the Gulf, people have it spread over Regag or over flatbread before laying a fried egg on top. It is very salty and a little goes a long way, but it is well worth having if you can find a good source for it. Gulf Arabs seem to favor that which is made in Bahrain. According to Charles Perry, the foremost expert on Arab medieval cookery, the name looks like the Persian word for fish with a suffix that usually means a kind of stew, such as the mastawa of Uzbekistan and the goshtaba of Kashmir.