Samaka Harra (Syrian Spiced Fish)
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 fresh red or green long chili peppers, seeded
- 1 small onion, cut into pieces
- 1 large ripe tomato (9 to 10 ounces), peeled and seeded
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds
- 1 whole red snapper (about 6 pounds), scaled, gutted and cleaned but left whole with head and tail on
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- In a mortar, pound the garlic and salt together until mushy.
- Put the chili peppers and onion in a food processor and chop finely.
- Add the tomato and process in bursts until it is chopped.
- Remove to a medium-size bowl and stir in the pounded garlic, tomato paste and cumin.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels.
- Score the fish in three places on each side.
- Lay the fish in a baking pan and coat with the olive oil on both sides.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with the chili pepper sauce.
- Bake the fish until the dorsal fin feels as if it will come off with a tug, about 1 hour, basting with the accumulated olive oil in the baking pan.
- Sprinkle with the coriander and serve.
garlic, salt, fresh red, onion, tomato, tomato paste, freshly ground cumin seeds, red snapper, extravirgin olive oil, salt, cilantro
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/samaka-harra-syrian-spiced-fish-recipe.html (may not work)