Rice in Fish Broth (Sayyadieh)
Sayyadieh is a fisherman's rice from the eastern Mediterranean, and its color and depth come from one smart move: the fish is fried first, then its head, bones and skin are simmered with deeply browned onions to make the broth the rice cooks in. Nothing is wasted, and the rice tastes thoroughly of fish and caramelized onion. A few drops of lemon in the leftover broth make a simple sauce.
Instructions
Fry the whole fish in the olive oil until it is thoroughly cooked through. Lift it out of the pan and let it cool, keeping the oil in the pan.
Fry the chopped onions in the same oil until they are deeply browned. While they cook, pull the flesh from the fried fish and discard nothing yet: set the cooked fillets aside to serve over the rice.
Add the head, bones and skin to the browned onions with 4 cups of water. Cook in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes, or simmer in an open pan for longer.
Strain the broth and discard the solids. Put the rice in a pot and cover it with the broth, using 1 to 4 cups of broth for each cup of rice, depending on how absorbent your rice is. Season with salt.
Boil the rice, then turn the heat to low and simmer until most of the broth has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Serve the rice topped with the reserved fish fillets. Flavor a little extra broth with a few drops of lemon juice and pass it at the table as a sauce.
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