Jesheed ~ Emirati Minced Shark

An Emirati special spiced dish made of minced baby shark…

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I was hoping that once I get back, I will be able to get back to blogging like I used to do before. But jetlag is such a pain… It is a constant fight to get the body and mind to coorindate and get back in track. As I do this post, I can’t but think with a sad heart that it has been one week since we are back. Days are flying as if there is no tomorrow.

The girls’ schools are expected to open to face-to-face classes soon and I can’t wait for them to go to school. It is mainly because their concentration on studies have hit a road block ever since they have been sitting on their laptops. My sound seems to have taken a toll but not their listening capabiities. :/ At least once back to school, there will be an urgency to do their work and be up-to-date, which was not the case when home.

I know a lot of the parents are not still opting for this, but looking into it, by being at home, our kids are missing the most fun part of being at school – being social with their friends. Thanks to Covid, they won’t be able to share each other’s lunch boxes or sit next to each other on the stairs during the recess. I feel sad about how much of their childhood has been wiped out by this pandemic, but Alhamdulillah, we have survived and hopefully things will get better, InShaAllah…

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It seems like ages since I have shared an Emirati recipe, the last one being with fish too. In general, my trials of recipes, whether new or old, has taken a back seat this whole year, due to so many reasons, so I am just thankful I am able to feed the blog. Hehe… Shark is a fish that is widely available here and is loved by the Emiratis. In fact, it is one of my favorite fish too. If there was a fish umma never liked, it is this and when she had to fry shark, she would make something else for her. The thing with shark is that it is a very thick skinned fish, and once it is gutted, there will be hardly any flesh available. But I find the meat of this fish absolutely delicious. However, there are times when the flavor of the shark can be smoky or taste a little off. I have no clue why this is, but I have had this experience a couple of times and that makes me think twice before buying shark…

Now this dish is feels like our Kerala style meen thoran. The chunky fish is first boiled, shredded and added into a  deliciously spiced base to make up the final dish. The recipe was really hard to find, however I was lucky to find it while browsing a magazine in a store and immediately took a click to make it. The recipe uses the bezaar spice blend, which is used in every spiced Emirati dishes. I loved that this dish used crushed fried onions, and I decided to stick to it. I found another recipe that used tomato chunks as well. If you like tomatoes or need a little more body to this dry dish, you may add so.

If you are wondering how to serve this dish, it is usually served with plain rice or saffron rice and if you need something to go with it, then a good option is this lentil soup or Daqoos. It goes amazingly well with chapathis or just eaten with plain bread. Off to this simple recipe…

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5 from 1 vote

Jesheed ~ Emirati Minced Shark

Course Main Course

Cuisine Emirati

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg shark fillet
• 1 small bay leaft
• 1 inch pc cinnamon
• 1 loomi (dried lemon) crushed

FOR DISH:

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chiliies minced
• 1 loomi (dried lemon) crushed (refer notes)
• 1 tbsp bezaar spice blend
• 1 tsp black pepper powder add more to taste
• 1 cup fried onions, crushed made of 2 large onions
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Instructions

• Wash the shark well. In a pot, add the shark, cinnamon, bay leaf and loomi along with lots of water and salt. Bring to boil and cook till the shark is almost cooked.
• Drain and allow to cool. Shred the fish after discarding the bones.
• In a saucepan, heat ghee. Fry the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and crushed loomi.
• Add the shredded shark along with the bezaar spice blend and pepper powder and give a good toss. Sprinkle some water to keep the dish together and cook on simmer for five minutes, stirring in between.
• Add the crushed onions to the done shark and adjust salt. Cook for two minutes, add the coriander leaves and switch off.
• Serve hot as side to plain rice.

Notes

The original recipe uses dried loomi powder in the sauce prepared. I used one loomi crushed. You can add 1 tsp loomi powder if available. 

This dish is dry. Some recipes use tomato. If using, then chop one tomato into small peices and add along with the shredded shark. Cook till smashed and done.