Samak Harra

Name: Samak Harra
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Egyptian
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs whole fish (sea bass or snapper), cleaned and gutted; 2 lg red bell peppers, roasted and peeled; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped; 4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 small red chili peppers, minced; 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 6 tbsp olive oil; 1/4 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper

Whole fish baked with a fiery red pepper and cilantro sauce, a vibrant and aromatic Middle Eastern dish.

40 minMediumServes 2320 cal/serving

EgyptianDinnerOvenStandard

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

1.5 lbs whole fish (sea bass or snapper), cleaned and gutted
2 lg red bell peppers, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 small red chili peppers, minced
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the 1.5 lbs cleaned and gutted whole fish (sea bass or snapper) on a sheet of foil or in a baking dish.
2

Roast the 2 lg roasted and peeled red bell peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler until charred all over, about 8 minutes. Place in a plastic bag for 5 minutes to steam. Peel off the charred skin.
3

In a food processor, combine roasted peppers, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 small minced red chili peppers, 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 6 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Pulse until you achieve a chunky sauce consistency.
4

Spread half of the sauce over and inside the cavity of the fish.
5

Bake the fish for 15-20 minutes until the flesh flakes easily when tested with a fork. Internal temperature should reach 145°F.
6

Transfer the fish to a serving platter and top with the remaining sauce.
7

Serve hot with rice or flatbread.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

Questions

What is Samak Harra?

Whole fish baked with a fiery red pepper and cilantro sauce, a vibrant and aromatic Middle Eastern dish. This reference files it under Egyptian dinner: made in the oven, rated medium and about 40 minutes start to finish.

What temperature do I cook Samak Harra at?

For Samak Harra, the oven is set to 400 F (about 205 C) in step 1. The longest stretch at that heat is 20 minutes, in step 5. The target internal temperature is 145 F (about 65 C), given in step 5. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork.

Is there a substitute for cilantro in Samak Harra?

The entry for Samak Harra calls for 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped. In its place: Flat-leaf parsley with a squeeze of lime, for anyone who tastes soap. The dish loses its signature note but stays fresh.

Can I use a different white fish instead of the fish in Samak Harra?

Yes. Any firm white fish of similar thickness works: cod, haddock, pollock and halibut are interchangeable here. Timing follows thickness, not species. As written, the entry for Samak Harra uses 1.5 lbs whole fish (sea bass or snapper), cleaned and gutted.

Is Samak Harra spicy?

Moderately. The heat in Samak Harra comes from 2 small red chili peppers, minced. For a milder plate, remove the seeds and ribs from the chilies, or use half; nothing else in the method changes. For more, add it at the table rather than in the pot, so everyone sets their own level.

Does Samak Harra contain fish?

Yes: 1.5 lbs whole fish (sea bass or snapper), cleaned and gutted. The full allergen list for this entry is fish. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

Serve it with

Baladi Salad salad
Konafa dessert
Yam Fries side

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.