Hamour Mahshi (Arabian-Style Stuffed Fish)

Hamour is a type of grouper that is commonly found in the waters of the Persian Gulf and is the fish of choice in a lot of gulf recipes.Unfortunately, it is only available in the Gulf countries and is quite expensive because of its future danger of extinction Banned Fish Traps Threaten Hamour. Here's a common recipe that is popular throughout the GCC countries,if you cannot find hamour you can replace it with sea bass or cod.

Yield:2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

1 hamour, cleaned and scaled

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 plus 1/2 tsp. turmeric

sea salt, to taste

3 garlic cloves,crushed

1/8 tsp. ginger,ground

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. black pepper

sea salt, to taste

1 3/4 oz. almonds, sliced

3/4oz. pine nuts (optional)

3/4 oz. walnuts,roughly chopped

3 Tbsp. cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 small yellow onion, sliced

1.Preheat oven to 350F.

2.Oil an oven-proof baking dish with the olive oil and place fish in it. Rub 1 tsp. of the turmeric allover hamour and sprinkle it with salt and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, blend together the crushed garlic, ground ginger,cumin, and remaining turmeric,black pepper, and sea salt until it becomes a paste.

4. Add the almonds, pine nuts (if using),walnuts and cilantro and combine together until well blended.

5. Stuff the hamour with the nut stuffing and place some on top.Place the half the sliced onions inside the fish and the other half on top.Bake for 45-55 minutes.Serve with yellow or white rice.