Whenever I think of this dish my mouth waters! It sure teases the tongue with a barrage of complex flavors from earthy spices like Oregano/Thyme, Sumac and garlic along with green and red peppers.
Mom has been baking this fish for a long time yet she doesn’t have a consistent official name for it. For convenience, she calls it baked fish with sumac at times, or baked fish in zaatar (thyme) at other times. It is however one of the tastiest seafood dishes I’ve ever had.
Rub Fish With Thyme or Oregano and Bake
Mix Spices With Peppers
Sumac and Oregano Paste is Ready
Cover Pulled Fish With Paste
The Oregano baked fish is fairly simple to make: pick a fresh fish along the lines of Red Snapper, rub it with ground thyme or oregano, stuff it with garlic and lemons and bake it gently. Once cooked, let cool a bit then pull fish meat, cover with a chunky paste of sumac, thyme, garlic, lemon juice and peppers, bake again then indulge.
For best results, use a fresh fish and high quality Sumac spice (should be bright in color, dark means old) and serve immediately after baking. This dish can also be consumed cold. My mouth is watering again!
- 3 lbs of fresh fish, preferably Red Snapper
- 1 green pepper (bell pepper), finely chopped
- 1 sweet red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 garlic head, crushed
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 7 teaspoons ground thyme or oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cilantro (or dried cilantro flakes)
- 7 teaspoons of quality sumac
- 5 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Rinse the fish with water then place in a baking tray and rub with a bit of salt and with about 2 teaspoons of ground thyme or oregano, place some cut lemons inside and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
- Meanwhile, chop green and red peppers into small cubes, then mix crushed garlic with lemon juice, 5 teaspoons of ground thyme or oregano, the ground cilantro, the sumac, olive oil and salt to taste. This should yield a red paste that you would then mix with the chopped peppers.
- Once the fish is baked, and while still warm (watch out so you don’t burn yourself) remove its bones and scales, pull its meat then place it in a baking tray and scoop the paste on top of it until it’s all covered. You don’t have to mix it, the paste will seep through naturally.
- Bake again for about 10 minutes at 350F so the paste infuses well into the meat then serve hot or cold along with a side of Fattoush or your preferred salad.
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This looks delicious, lucky me, my husband works at a fresh seafood market.
Maybe this recipe will win my heart over (haven’t found an Arabic fish recipe that I like).
I hope you will like it Zahra.. nothing beats fresh quality seafood. My advise is to try to find quality sumac to make it taste well. Quality sumac (ie fresh) should be deep red in color.
This looks so delish
MaMa, many times I’ve tried to send you a comment.
Photos and the recipe are incredible and mouth watering. I’ll try as soon as possible. I have all the ingredients especially high quality sumac and oregano.
Thank for sharing.
Happy new year to you and your friends and your precious mum.
Looks incredible..reminds me samke harra thats served off the coast of Syria( no tahineh) but maybe some tomato and heat added as well..before trying your recipe I have 2 questions..is that ground fresh or dried thyme leaves you call for? and is the ground cilantro , dried coriander powder or dried or fresh cilantro leaves..ty for another great recipe.
Looks wonderful! I simply adore sumac with fish – it’s one of the best combinations on Earth. Love your pairing with tomato and oregano, too. sounds just right for this hot summer weather we are having!
Glad you liked it Yasmeen
I love Lebanese, and I think it presents one of the most exotic recipes. I will try my hands on some Lebanese recipe and feature it on my blog “Lick My Spoon”.
Awesome,healthy recipe, I tried it and my family fell in love with it. I even tried it with fish fillets and put the paste directly on top before baking. Turned out great too. This is a keeper. Thank you for this nostalgic website.
Thank you and glad you liked it Sam. I had completely forgotten about this dish until mom recently visited us and made it again.. it is such a mouth watering dish especially if the Sumac is fresh and tangy!
Baked this this evening and my husband and I both loved it. Thank you. I used Zaatar instead of thyme or oregano.
Awesome Rosanne I’m glad you liked the Sumac Fish. We sometimes use Zaatar too when oregano/thyme powder is not available and it’s as good