Kuwaiti national fish dish · Layered
Muttabaq Samak Recipe (Kuwaiti Fish and Rice)
Fry the fish. Rice in fish stock. Layer and steam.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenMuttabaq samak is one of Kuwait's most loved dishes: fried, spiced fish (traditionally zubaidi or hammour) layered over rice cooked in a fragrant fish stock. It differs from machboos because the fish is fried crisp and served on top. It fails when the rice tastes plain or the fish turns soft. The fix is cooking the rice in a stock made from the fish trimmings and adding the fried fish only for the last steam.
The 3 laws of muttabaq samak
Why this recipe works
Plain water
The stock gives the rice its sea flavour.
Soft fish
Crisp fish stays whole on top.
Cook together
Short steam keeps the crust.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Fish
Rice
The NineFoods rice gauge
Is the rice ready for the fish?
Watch the surface after boiling.
Method · 3 stages
Step by step
Fish stock
- Simmer fish head and trimmings with loomi, cardamom and onion; strain and keep 3.75 cups.
Fry the fish
- Rub steaks with bzar, turmeric, salt and lemon; fry until crisp.
Rice and layer
- Boil the stock with ghee and bzar, add rice. Use the gauge above.
- Layer fish and fried onions on top, drizzle saffron, steam 10 minutes.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Water instead of stock.
Fix next time
Cook the rice in fish stock and season it well.
Why
Steamed too long.
Fix next time
Add fish only for the last 10 minutes.
Why
Stock boiled too long.
Fix next time
Simmer the stock gently for 25 minutes only.
Why
Too much stock.
Fix next time
Use 1.5 cups stock per cup of rice.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Zubaidi | Traditional fish | Pomfret, hammour or sea bream |
| Fish stock | Rice flavour | Light chicken stock |
| Bzar | Spice | Baharat |
| Rose water | Aroma | Skip it |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Daqqus tomato sauce, lemon and salad.
Store
Fridge 1 day; keep fish separate.
Reheat
Steam rice; re-crisp fish in a hot pan.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 5 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 3 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the rice ready for the fish) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Muttabaq Samak FAQ
What is muttabaq samak?
A Kuwaiti dish of fried fish layered over rice cooked in fish stock.
Which fish is used?
Traditionally zubaidi (silver pomfret); pomfret or hammour work too.
How is it different from machboos?
In muttabaq the fish is fried crisp and layered on top; machboos simmers the protein in the stock.
Can I use fillets?
Yes, thick fillets, but keep bones for the stock if you can.