Fisherman’s Casserole with Rice

Name: Fisherman’s Casserole with Rice (Sayadieh)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Palestinian
Ingredients: 380 g (2 cups) round-grain or basmati rice; 380 g (2 cups) round-grain or basmati rice; 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) fish fillets of your choice; Juice of 2 lemons; 2 large onions; 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil; ¼ tsp ground cumin; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground turmeric; ¼ tsp ground nutmeg; ½ tsp ground pepper; 750 ml (3 cups) hot water; 30 g (¼ cup) flour; 50 g (1¾ oz) blanched almonds; 1 tbsp butter; Salsa harra, to serve (optional); 12 garlic cloves, crushed; 60 g (2¼ oz) coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped; 1 chilli pepper, chopped; Salt and black pepper; Salt and black pepper

Sayadieh

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 10

Appears in

Classic Palestinian Cuisine

By Christiane Dabdoub Nasser

Published 2026

About

Mullet, grouper or ray are excellent choices for this dish, which can be mildly spiced or hot. Like makloubeh, I like cooking sayadiyyeh in a cast-iron pot and serving it with a coriander sauce, or with salsa harra, a hot sauce from the Gaza area.

Ingredients

380 g (2 cups) round-grain or basmati rice
1 kg (

Asia
Palestine
Fish course
Pescatarian

Method

Wash the rice, then soak in water for 10 minutes.

While the rice is soaking, cut the fish into individual portions. Sprinkle half the salt on the fish and add the juice of one lemon. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the onions into slivers. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in the pan and fry the onion with the ground spices and the remaining salt. For a spicier versi