Salted Sardine; an original Pharaonic dish.
Ancient Egyptians used to celebrate the beginning of spring "Sham El Nessim" or Easter by salted fish and eggs coloring. It was a ritual ceremony. They used to carve their wishes over eggs and hang them on trees.This ceremony started since the fifth Pharaonic family rule. Bory fish was their favorite salted fish and it is called Fesikh. Sardine and herring were other fishes used for salting. They added onion and lettuce to this dish since the middle of sixth family rule for ritual causes also. Nowadays, Egyptians eat salted fish in Sham El Nnessim feast and in Eid Al Fitr or when they miss it.
In this blog, I am showing you how to make salted sardine. I chose sardine because it is simple in preparation, has a moderate taste and 100% safe. You may have heard about the dangerous effects of Fesikh. That is because its complicated preparation and unclean environment it is made on. But you can make it safe 100% in home.
It may seems an odd dish, but I am sure that you will fall in love with it. Here's my simple recipe;
Ingredients: • 1 kg sardine or 2 lbs.“12 sardine fish” preferably sardine without scales. • 3 tablespoon salt. • 1 ½ tablespoon turmeric • 1 ½ tablespoon red pepper. • ½ cup lemon juice. • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
Preparation: • Wash sardine fish then dry them. • In a plastic bag, place 4 fishes as the first row then add 1 tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon turmeric and ½ tablespoon red pepper. • Place another 4 fishes as 2nd row, then add 1 tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon turmeric and ½ tablespoon red pepper. • Place the last 4 fishes as 3rd row then add 1 tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon turmeric and ½ tablespoon red pepper. • Add lemon juice and vegetable oil to the plastic bag, then remove the air completely “manually or automatic” then seal the package. This is the most important step to avoid bacteria growth. • Leave the package 5-7 days then serve the fish or keep it in the freezer. • On serving open the fish from the middle then add lemon juice over the surface. It is served with onion soaked with lemon juice, lettuce and bread.
I hope that you will enjoy this Pharaonic dish.
