A coastal variation of kabsa featuring hammour fish simmered with vegetables and kabsa spices, served over saffron-scented basmati rice. A lighter, faster take on the classic Saudi rice dish.
Fish kabsa is one of the coastal dishes in the UAE and Oman, a lighter version of meat kabsa and faster to cook. It works for Ramadan suhoor for those who love seafood but find meat kabsa too heavy.
The whole spices and loomi cover the sea flavor and give the kabsa a Gulf character. The dish is prepared in one full hour and served on one platter.
Mix the fish with the cumin, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Marinate for 15 minutes.
In a pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, tomato, zucchini, bell pepper, kabsa spices, loomi, and coriander. Leave for 10 minutes.
Add the fish pieces to the vegetables and cover for 6 minutes. Lift them out and reserve the sauce.
Add the rice and enough fish stock to cover the rice by two fingers. Cook for 20 minutes over low heat until absorbed.
Return the fish over the rice and cover for 5 minutes. Dissolve the saffron in hot water and drizzle it.
Flip it onto a platter and garnish with almonds, cilantro, drops of olive oil, and lemon slices. Serve with a green salad.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Fish Kabsa, and how to fix them:
Reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes and stir gently.
Add one cup of water during cooking and continue for 10 minutes.
Double the loomi and add drops of lemon before serving.
Reduce the broth by one cup. The rice absorbs quickly.
Two days. Reheat with a spoonful of broth.
The fish loses its texture after thawing.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| hammour fish | sha'ari or kanad fish | 1:1 | We choose firm flesh. |
| loomi | lemon + cumin | 1:1 | A different but acceptable flavor. |
| kabsa spices | Gulf mixed spices | 1:1 | A different but acceptable flavor. |
| Ingredient | 4 people | 8 people | 12 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish | 600 g | 1200 g | 1800 g |
| Rice | 400 g | 800 g | 1200 g |
| Vegetables | 600 g | 1200 g | 1800 g |
| Broth | 1 L | 2 L | 3 L |
We choose fish with firm flesh that holds up to cooking. We add the fish only at the last stage so it does not fall apart. We reduce the kabsa spices in the fish version because the sea flavor deserves to come through.
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