Haraimi (Libyan Spicy Fish Stew)
Libya
Rédacteur en chef
Abuja, Nigeria ·
Cookies sur African Food Network
Nous utilisons des cookies essentiels au fonctionnement du site. Nous aimerions aussi déposer des cookies de mesure d’audience et des cookies publicitaires, uniquement avec votre accord. Vous pouvez choisir séparément pour chacun. Lire notre politique relative aux cookies
Abuja, Nigeria ·
Haraimi is fish cooked in a fiercely spiced tomato sauce, and it is among the dishes most identified with Libya. It is quick, it is hot, and it is eaten with bread to mop the sauce, which is generally reckoned to be the best part. Its origins lie with the Libyan Jewish community. Libya had a Jewish population of several thousand within living memory, and haraimi was their dish before it became a staple in every Libyan household. Very few Jews remain in Libya today, and the dish has outlasted the community that created it, which is worth recording rather than passing over. Italian colonial rule is the other influence the source points to. Caraway is the spice that makes it. Added near the end so its aroma survives, it gives haraimi a warm, slightly aniseed note that distinguishes it from the many other Mediterranean fish-in-tomato dishes. Lemon juice goes in at the very end for the same reason. Tuna is used here, and any chunky firm fish works, since the flesh has to hold together in the sauce. It is served warm or at room temperature as an appetizer, or as a main with couscous or rice.
Haraimi originates with the Libyan Jewish community and has become a staple of Libyan households generally. The Jewish population of Libya, once several thousand, is now very small.
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient.
Fry the finely chopped onion in plenty of olive oil, using a large non-stick pan with a high edge if you have one.
Still on low heat, add the chilli powder, tomato paste and crushed garlic, then a large glass of water and the salt.
When the sauce starts to simmer, put the fish into the pan and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens.
Add a scant half teaspoon of ground caraway to the sauce and cook for a few more minutes.
At the end of cooking, add the juice of half a lemon.
Serve as an appetizer at room temperature, with plenty of bread.
5 avis
Caraway seeds in a fish sauce tasted strange to me at first chale, but that ground caraway added right at the end with the lemon juice is what makes it haraimi. my friend from Tripoli used to make this when we were in university. You need plenty olive oil for the base oo, don't reduce it or the tomato paste will taste bitter paa.
Made this with 3 thick kingklip fillets instead of tuna. The 125ml of olive oil felt like a lot when frying the chopped onion, but once the 2 tablespoons of tomato paste blended in with the water it formed a lekker thick gravy. Added the half teaspoon of ground caraway near the end as stated. Cooking time was spot on 25 mins.
Picked up some fresh tuna steaks from the fishmonger at Cardiff Market for this. Sauce was lovely and punchy from the garlic and lemon, but my sauce took nearly 20 minutes extra to thicken up properly before I could even put the fish in. Ended up overcooking the tuna slightly as a result, so it was a bit dry.
I used fresh croaker fish since good tuna is hard to find here in Jos, but the spicy tomato and garlic sauce came out so rich. Abeg don't skimp on the chilli powder sha, that heat with the lemon juice at the end is proper. E sweet o.
Had to hunt for ground caraway all over Chicago until I finally found some at a Mediterranean market near Devon. Used frozen yellowfin tuna steaks from Jewel-Osco. The sauce thickened up nicely after about 15 minutes of simmering the fish. Tastes so close to what my friend's Libyan mom used to bring us in school, abeg the heat level is no joke if you use a full teaspoon of chilli!