Last Updated on June 2, 2022
Tangy Sumac and Oregano Baked Fish Recipe
Whenever I think of mom’s baked sumac fish 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. Tangy Sumac and Oregano Baked Fishis however one of the tastiest seafood dishes I’ve ever had. 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!
Tangy Sumac and Oregano Baked Fish Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs fish filets of Red Snapper or Cod
- 1 green pepper finely chopped
- 1 red pepper finely chopped
- 1 head garlic crushed
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 7 teaspoons oregano dried powder
- 2 teaspoons dried cilantro flakes
- 7 teaspoons sumac
- 5 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the fish in a baking tray, rub with a bit of salt and with about 2 teaspoons of ground thyme or oregano, place cut lemons on top and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
- Finely chop the green and red peppers into small cubes and set aside.
- Mix the crushed garlic with the lemon juice, ground thyme or oregano, dried cilantro leaves, sumac, olive oil and salt. This should yield a red paste that you would then mix with the chopped peppers.
- Once the fish is baked, pull from oven, spread the paste on top until it's fully covered. Then bake again for 10 minutes at 350F.
- Serve hot or cold with a side of Fattoush or your preferred salad.
what ia a sumac can i get it or have to maker and how to
Hi, where you mentioned that put the garlic cloves inside the fish ?you have mentioned here that lemons cut,ground thyme ,oregano and salt to marinate the fish.
HI: Can you help me understand what is ground cilantro? (do i grind the cilantro leaves) or use ground coriander balls|>
Thansk!
Hi Faaizah, this is in reference to dried cilantro leaves or you can even use fresh green cilantro for a better taste.
Ground cilantro is actually Ground coriander. In north American, you can find it in every food market
No. In North America ground coriander is the cilantro seeds, ground cilantro is the preferred dried leaves. Very different flavors.
So i went on a quest for the sumac here in Brussels and found it quite easily in a Morrocan supermarket , good quality and went just as nice with icelandic fish ! Thank you
I don’t really like fish but when mom made this, I was just eating on and on. Thank you!! 😀
Glad you liked it Kother. Thank you for the feedback.
hiya, you say to put garlic inside the fish when baking initially, is it from the garlic you’ve already crushed? or do you need extra and how would it be cut? and do I need to rub any oil on the fish prior to baking?
many thanks
Hi Imaan – you can stuff the fish with garlic cloves, they’ll almost melt by the time the fish is cooked and give a nice flavor to its meat. You could rub olive oil on the fish but it’s not necessary. It won’t make too much difference.
Sorry I am out
Is this a free site?
This recipe looks delicious. I did not understand one thing. U said pull the meat. Is it to scoop the meat out and remove the bones?
Hi Enid – that is correct just remove the bones
What a recipe! It seems delicious!
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 🙂
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!
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”.
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
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.
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.
This looks so delish
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.