Masgouf - Iraqi-Style Grilled Butterflied Fish with homemade amba (mango pickle) and homemade tomato paste

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the Whole Roasted Fish

1. 8
   Rinse the fish, now opened, and pat dry well.

   Paper towels
2. 9
   Sprinkle the coarse salt on both sides and leave half an hour in the fridge. The salt draws out a little liquid and firms the flesh.

   Refrigerator
3. 10
   In a bowl, mix the olive oil, tomato paste, paprika, turmeric, black pepper and juice of one lemon.

   Bowl
4. 11
   Wipe off the excess salt and spread the paste over the flesh side in a thin layer.
5. 12
   Light a charcoal grill to medium-high heat.

   Charcoal grill
6. 13
   Lay the fish in a double grill basket, the meat side facing the coals, and grill 10–12 minutes, until it is well charred.

   Charcoal grill
7. 14
   Turn carefully and grill another 15–20 minutes, with the lid closed, brushing the rest of the paste over the flesh now and then.

   Charcoal grill
8. 15
   Check near the backbone: when the flesh is completely white and flakes easily with a fork, the fish is done.
9. 16
   Heat the oil in a small pot and fry the garlic 2 minutes.

   StoveSmall saucepan
10. 17
    Add the turmeric and fry half a minute.

    Stove

    💡The spices go into the hot oil for only half a minute: burnt turmeric turns bitter.

    💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
11. 18
    Add the mango and stir, then add the vinegar, salt and black pepper.
12. 19
    Turn down the heat and simmer 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mango softens and thickens.

    Stove

    💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
13. 20
    Blend into a smooth spread and let cool.

    BlenderorFood processor
14. 21
    Serve with the remaining lemon halves, the tomato slices, onion and amba alongside pitas.