Dave’s Aroos Ala Al Fahm or Grilled Sea Bass (Bronzino)
Serves 4
- 2- 11/2-2 lb. whole bronzino or similar firm fleshed fish such as black sea bass, large porgy or snapper – scaled, gutted
- 2 large red onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 T cumin
- 1/2 t red chili powder
- Kosher or sea salt
Place fish in a Pyrex pan or sheet tray to marinate. Squeeze lemon juice over both sides of fish. In a food processor, puree onion and garlic
Remove handfuls of onion garlic mixture and squeeze the juices out over the fish. Return onion garlic mix back to food processor, add green pepper, cumin and chili powder, mix, and then liberally stuff the fish. Season both sides of fish with salt.
Let fish marinate for 15-30 min. Lightly baste fish with olive oil and place on a clean, oiled grill (so fish won’t stick) Grill over med- high if using gas grill. Grill covered for about 6 min. a side or until fish is just opaque in center.
Flipping tip – the salt on the fish should help the skin to crisp up nicely but you have to be careful and gentle flipping the fish. If your grill is clean and oiled, slide two spatulas under fish to flip and skin should stay intact
Dave served this dish with his homemade fatoush salad and baba ganoush- made with farm fresh eggplants, grilled over the coals (recipe included)
Baba Ganoush
Serves 4-6
- 2 large or 4 small eggplants, roasted and seeded
- 1/2 C tahini
- Juice from 1 1/2 – 2 lemons to taste
- 2 cloves garlic
- Olive oil
Before grilling the bronzini, Dave tossed the eggplants directly on the hot coals, turning them occasionally until charred and soft in the center (around 15 min.) He then peeled the skin, sliced them in half, seeded them and squeezed the juices out. One of the larger eggplants wasn’t quite soft in the center so he microwaved it for a couple minutes then popped everything in the food processor and served it in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil over it.
