Food 52

Egyptian "Seafood" Rice

Seafood packs so much flavor, but it needs a beautiful base to elevate it to a full meal. I don't know about you, but going through marinading, frying, baking or grilling fish or other seafood and putting it atop a bed of plain white rice, french fries, or mashed potatoes just ain't gonna cut it! Enter: Egyptian "Seafood" Rice. This soft rice, made by deeply browning onions to create an aromatic flavor base, yielding the perfect foundation for delectable coastal Mediterranean food. We use medium grain rice, the rice mostly commonly used in Egypt, because it produces moist, chewy rice to contrast crispy fish (https://food52.com/recipes/83426-egyptian-fried-fish-fillets?preview=true), perfectly grilled shrimp, and a sauce-laded baked fish. Alternatively, you can use your rice of choice, or my favorite alternative: Basmati rice. The onion flavor permeates every grain of rice and doesn't compete with the seafood flavors, cumin, and garlic we'd like to get MORE of. Drizzle with some tangy tahini sauce, and you've got yourself an explosive collection of flavors. This is why I love Egyptian food - simple kitchen staples we can put to work to produce aromatic, layered flavors that will have you craving seconds (and thirds, if we are being honest). Bel hana wel shefa (Arabic: enjoy it with happiness and good health)!