Pan-Fried Sole with Chilli Vinegar

Name: Pan-Fried Sole with Chilli Vinegar (Samak Moussa bi Tasha)
Cuisine: Egyptian
Ingredients: Juice of 1 lemon; Ground cumin, to taste; 4 whole sole, cleaned; 300 g (10½ oz/2¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour; 3 tbsp cornmeal (polenta); 3 tbsp cornmeal (polenta); A pinch of paprika; Sea salt and ground black pepper; Sea salt and ground black pepper; Chopped parsley, to garnish; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tsp chilli paste; 5 tbsp white vinegar

Samak Moussa bi Tasha

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Egypt

By Suzanne Zeidy and Rawah Badrawi

Published 2026

About

A charming local restaurant, Nawaret el Sahel, in Ras El Bar serves up top-notch local seafood dishes to regulars. A star dish is the sole (moussa), perfectly fried, then flavoured with a vinegar, garlic and chilli splash at the end.

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Ground cumin, to taste

Africa
Egypt
Damietta
Fish course
Pescatarian
Mediterranean

Method

Mix the garlic and the lemon juice and season with salt, pepper and the ground cumin to taste. Rub the sole thoroughly with the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavours to penetrate the fish.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal (polenta), a pinch of salt and a pinch of paprika. Remove the fish from the fridge and shake off the excess marinade, then coat