Masgouf

Ingredients

• 1 whole carp, sea bass or bream, about 2kg, butterflied from the back
• 3 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp baharat
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2.5 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 large tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 green chillies
• Flatbread, amba pickle and parsley, to serve

Before you cook

• Ask the fishmonger to butterfly the fish from the back, leaving the belly skin intact and the head on if you like.
• Rinse the fish and pat it completely dry inside and out.
• Crush the garlic cloves to a paste.
• Slice the tomatoes and onions into thick rounds and slit the chillies lengthways.
• Light a charcoal fire, or heat a grill to high, and let the coals burn down to a steady glow with no flames.

Steps

1. Whisk the tamarind paste, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, garlic, turmeric, baharat, paprika, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a thick paste.
2. Open the fish out flat, skin side down, on a large tray.
3. Brush the marinade thickly over the flesh only, leaving the skin bare.
4. Leave the fish at room temperature for thirty minutes so the marinade sinks in.
5. Set the fish skin side down over the coolest part of the fire, or on a rack well above the coals.
6. Cook the fish slowly for forty-five to sixty minutes without turning it, letting the heat come from the side and below rather than searing it.
7. Baste the flesh with any leftover marinade every fifteen minutes.
8. Watch for the flesh turning opaque and pulling into flakes near the backbone, which tells you it is nearly done.
9. Scatter the tomato, onion and chilli slices over the fish for the last ten minutes so they soften and take on smoke.
10. Slide the whole fish onto a board with two large spatulas.
11. Rest the fish for five minutes.
12. Serve it in the middle of the table with flatbread, amba and plenty of parsley, tearing off pieces of flesh to roll into wraps.