Masgouf

Name: Masgouf
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Iraqi Mesopotamian
Ingredients: 3 kg whole river fish (carp traditionally); tamarind, turmeric, olive oil, salt; tomato, onion, chili (to finish over embers); flatbread, lemon, pickles

Iraq's national dish and an ancient Mesopotamian rite: a whole river fish butterflied, brushed with tamarind and turmeric, and propped upright around an open fire to roast slowly in the radiant heat before finishing over the embers.

2 hr 30 min · Serves 6 · Takes some skill

Recipe by Halal Gourmet Editorial Team

Ingredients

Fish

3 kgwhole river fish (carp traditionally), butterflied from the back

Baste

tamarind, turmeric, olive oil, salt

Finish

tomato, onion, chili (to finish over embers)

Serve

flatbread, lemon, pickles

Method

Start cooking mode

Time: Prep 30 min · Cook 120 min · 150 min total
Difficulty: hard

1
Butterfly the fish open from the back; brush with tamarind, turmeric, and oil.
30 min
2
Stake the fish upright in a ring around an open wood fire and roast slowly in the radiant heat — not over the flame.
90 min
3
Lay the fish flat over the embers to finish; top with tomato, onion, and chili; serve with flatbread and lemon.
30 min