Do you like fish (السمك)? Have you ever tried fish soup (شوربة السمك)?

There are many different ways of preparing this dish, but I will give you the recipe used in my home city Alexandria (الاسكندرية).

For fish soup, you will need one whole big fish. It has to be fresh and clean, i.e. not frozen for long and without any scales or guts. You do not need to remove the bones. You can use any type of fish you like. I tried it with salmon, sea bream or sea pass, and it always works fine.

1-      Big fish (سمكة)

2-      Chopped onion (بصل)

3-      Cumin (كمون)

4-      Black pepper (فلفل اسود)

5-      Salt (ملح)

6-      3 Cardamom pods (الهيل)

7-      1 spoonful of oil (زيت)

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil and add the cardamom.
2. Add some water (be careful! Take the pan away from the heat first).
3. Add the chopped onion, salt, cumin and black pepper, and allow to boil for a short while
4. Add fish and allow to boil until fully cooked.

This dish is served with rice.

I sometimes add cubed potatoes with the onion at the beginning because my kids do not like to eat the fish itself.

You can add drops of lemon to the soup, and you can decorate it with fresh parsley when you serve it!