Masgouf (or مسقوف)
One of Baghdad's best dishes is Masgouf (مسقوف), grilled fish spiced with salt, pepper and tamarind, then placed in a metal grill and barbecued in front of an open flame on the pavement. Served with rice, cooked with tomato paste, or prepared with saffron, salad, and pickles, it is a delight. The fish is cooked near the coals of the fire altar, a common feature shared by all Masgûf restaurants. The said "altar" typically consists of a big open-air area centred by a raised, podium-like sandbox that is either round, octagonal or sometimes rectangular and in the middle of which there's always a rather large bonfire, consisting exclusively of apricot tree logs.Masgouf has become extremely expensive, making it a dish only for special occasions for many. In an ideal world, the fish will have been caught in the Tigris....Picture taken by me in Baghdad in 2011
Equipment
- Charcoal grill
- Apricot wood for the fire
Ingredients
The fish
- 2.5 kg Carp or Qattan fish (fresh)
- 1 tsp Tamarind (paste)
- 1 tsp Turmeric (powder)
- 1 tsp Black pepper (ground)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- olive oli
- 1 tsp Rock salt (ground)
Garnish
- 1 plate cooked rice
- 1 lime (or lemon) sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 bowl Iraqi pickles.
Instructions
- Ideally, The fish should be live, weighed, and killed by a quick blow to the forehead with a small rod just before it is cooked.
- Open the belly of the fish and remove all entrails
- Partially de-scale the fish and cut in two identical halves from the belly up while leaving the back intact, opening the fish in the shape of a big symmetrical circle. Wash in fresh water.
- Make a marinade by mixing the following ingredients together: tamarind, turmeric, black pepper, and rock salt.tomato paste, olive oil
- Coat the fish in the marinade.
Grill the fish
- Place the fish inside a fish-shaped grill, placed near the coals and cook each side for 10 minutes, or until most of the fat is burned out and the outside layer is crispy.
Serve the fish
- When the fish is well cooked and crispy on the outsides, it is typically laid on a big tray garnished with lime (or lemon), slices of onion and Iraqi pickles.
- Serve on a big tray garnished with lime (or lemon), slices of onion and Iraqi pickles. The tray is then covered by a large crispy flatbread straight of a clay oven to keep the contents hot until served.