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With deeply spiced rice, caramelized onions, and golden flaky cod–all topped with crunchy toasted almonds–Sayadieh is a Lebanese fish and rice recipe that’s perfect for dinner! This fish sayadieh recipe is easy and approachable, and the Middle Eastern flavors are so good. This one’s a family favorite that we make and enjoy often.
Table of Contents
I grew up eating sayadieh (also spelled sayadiyeh), a classic Lebanese fish and rice dish full of warm Mediterranean spices, sweet caramelized onions, and perfectly cooked pieces of fish. Authentic Middle Eastern sayadieh recipes often call for coating the fish with flour and deep-frying it, but in my family, we pan-seared or baked the fish for a lighter–yet still delicious–version.
For this sayadieh recipe, I coat the fish in flour and seasonings and pan-fry it for a perfect golden sear. It’s so good served on top of the flavorful rice with crunchy toasted almonds! Serve the fish whole on top of the rice or cut it into chunks and mix it with the cooked rice; your choice. Just add a vegetable or easy salad, and dinner’s made.
Recipe at a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: Lebanese
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Dairy-free
Key Flavor: Warmly spiced
Skill Level: Beginner
Summary
- Healthy weeknight meal: Sayadiyeh is an simple-to-make meal that comes together easily, making it a great option for dinners during the week.
- Nutritious: Cod is rich in protein, omega-3s, and many vitamins and minerals, making it a nutrient-dense choice.
- A new way to cook fish: If you’re looking for new ways to prepare cod or other flaky white fish, this sayadieh rice recipe brings different flavors to the table, making fish interesting again!
- Accessible recipe: This sayadieh rice recipe might be unique, but it’s made with an accessible list of ingredients so you can recreate it easily at home.
Ingredients to Make Sayadieh
For the Rice:
- Basmati rice: Long grain rice, such as basmati, has a more firm texture and less starch than other types of rice, for a finished dish that’s tender but not sticky.
- Onions: I like to use yellow onions, but white onions or sweet onions will work as well.
- Olive oil: For sautéing the onions and toasting the rice and spices.
- 7-spice: Lebanese 7 spice is a spice blend used many Middle Eastern recipes. Feel free to use store-bought or homemade.
- Ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric: Dried and ground, these spices add another layer of warmth and depth of flavor.
- Salt & pepper: For highlighting the many flavors in this delicious rice.
For the Fish and Toppings:
- Cod fillets: Fresh or frozen cod fillets will work in this recipe. If you’re using frozen, thaw them completely in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours before cooking it. I always recommend checking your fillets bones to prevent any surprises at mealtime.
- Salt, pepper, & ground cumin: When it comes to cod, simpler is better, so only these three flavor enhancers are called for in my sayadiyeh.
- Flour: For dunking the fish fillets into before cooking, resulting in a flavorful, golden crust. Use all-purpose flour for best results.
- Olive oil: For sautéing your fish fillets.
- Slivered almonds & parsley: These toppings are perfect on sayadiyeh. Toasted almonds provide a nutty crunch while parsley adds color and a welcome herbal note.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Use another type of fish: This recipe works well with other types of flaky white fish such as such as halibut or snapper.
- Replace the almonds with pine nuts: This fish and rice recipe is also excellent with toasted pine nuts in place of the slivered almonds.
- Serve with tahini sauce: While there is so much flavor in the spiced rice and cooked fish, we love to add a lemony tahini dressing on the side to drizzle over every bite.
- Add a squeeze of lemon: A bit of fresh lemon juice is always welcome! Squeeze half a lemon’s worth it on top of the fish just as it’s finished cooking, or sprinkle a bit over the top of your assembled platter of sayadieh.
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to Make Sayadieh
This Lebanese fish and rice recipe is simple to make. First, caramelize the onions, then add the spices, rice, and water. While your rice is cooking, toast the almonds and prepare the fish. It’s that easy!
Make the Lebanese Rice
- Saute the onions until soft and golden brown.
- Add the rice and spices, tossing well to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, toasting the rice and blooming the flavors of the spices.
- Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer until the rice has absorbed the water, turn off the heat, and let it steam for a bit longer. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
Cook the Cod Fillets
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Season both sides with the cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Add the flour to a bowl and dip the cod into the flour, coating it on both sides with the flour.
- Heat the skillet and toast the almonds until fragrant. Remove the almonds, heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet, and, when hot, add the fish.
- Cook until a golden crust forms, then flip and cook the other side until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Tips for Making the Best Sayadieh
- Use long grain rice. Compared to short-grain rice, long-grain rice like basmati has a firmer texture and less starch, for cooked rice that’s tender without being sticky.
- Give the rice time to steam after cooking it. This is my rule of thumb whenever I cook rice. I always turn the timer on for 5-10 minutes (depending on the quantity of rice I make) and allow the rice to steam in the pot to absorb any extra liquid. It helps to let the grains separate to yield a more fluffy consistency.
- Pat the fish dry, and don’t overcrowd it. For the crispest, most golden crust, pat the fillets with a paper towel before breading and cooking them. You’ll also want to make sure you don’t overcrowd your fillets, which could result in steamed fish instead of crispy pan-seared pieces. It’s better to cook the fish in two batches vs. trying to cook too much fish in one.
- Blitz the onions in the food processor for faster prep. While I prefer dicing the onions by hand for a more uniform size, it’s a lot of chopping! If you prefer, you can chop the onions in your food processor.
What to Serve With Sayadiyeh
How to Store & Reheat Sayadieh
To store leftovers from this fish sayadieh recipe, allow the fish and rice to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave leftovers until heated through.
How Long Will Sayadieh Last in the Fridge?
Lebanese fish and rice will last three to four days in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze This Fish and Rice Recipe?
Yes, you can freeze sayadiyeh for up to three months. Place it in an airtight container to freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours, then reheat in the microwave until warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend using long grain white basmati rice for best results. However, if you want to use brown rice, be sure to add an extra 30 minutes of cooking time to the recipe since brown rice needs more time to become tender.
While you can make sayadieh with any type of fish, it’s most common to pick white flaky fish like cod, halibut, haddock, or snapper. Readers have reported using tilapia with success, and pollock is another option.
Yes, you can prepare some of the ingredients beforehand for easier assembling at dinnertime, such as chopping and cooking the onions so they’re ready to go. You can also completely prepare this Lebanese fish and rice recipe then separate into individual portions in airtight containers. Microwave on high to warm. Sayadieh lasts 3-4 days in the fridge.
Cod is such a great option for healthy weeknight dinners, and this Lebanese fish and rice recipe is an absolutely delicious way to prepare it! It’s so good with that flaky, golden-seared fish, intensely flavored rice, and crunchy almonds. Sayadieh is a favorite of our family’s, and I hope yours loves it too!
More Authentic Lebanese Recipes:
- Mediterranean Ground Beef and Rice
- Lebanese Rice
- Lebanese Lentils and Rice
- Mujadara Hamra
- Chicken and Rice
- Potato Souffle
- Chicken Fatteh
- Mujadara
- Freekeh Soup with Chicken
If you try this feel good Sayadiyeh recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Sayadiyeh recipe was originally published on March 25, 2020. The recipe has been slightly modified to switch out the spices and reduce the amount of turmeric and the post now includes updated step-by-step photos.
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Sayadieh
Video
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 onions chopped
- 2 cups basmati rice rinsed
- 1 teaspoon 7 spice
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups water
For the Fish & Toppings
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ cup slivered toasted almonds for serving
- 1 ½ pounds cod fish fillets
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- In a large deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and fry the chopped onions until lightly golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the rice on top of the onions and season with 7 spice, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper. Toss well to combine the rice with the spices and onions. and toast the rice lightly with the spices, about 5 minutes.
- Add the water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 more minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
- While the rice is cooking, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast, stirring frequently, until they’re golden-brown and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. (this will be just like the “How to Toast Almonds but in a bigger pot, so I recommend just transferring it from the big pot to a small skillet for the tutorial or vice versa)
- Use paper towels to pat the fish dry, then season with salt, pepper and cumin on both sides. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dip the cod fillet in the flour lightly on both sides.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the same skillet used to cook the almonds over medium-high heat.
- Add the fish into the skillet and cook the first side for about 3-4 minutes then flip and cook the other side for about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve the cooked fish on top of the rice mixture and garnish with toasted almonds and parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Easy to make with huge results, absolutely delicious. Also, made the tahina sauce 🤤
Thank you for the great recipe, really enjoy your recipes. 🥰
Yum, so good! Thanks for your feedback!
I made only the Sayadieh rice from the recipe. Instead of water i used vegetable broth and added about a teaspoon of fish sauce, it turned out excellent.
I really like your site Yumna, large variety of recipes and easy to make.
Thanks so much!
I made this exactly as written. It was so flavourful! A keeper! Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear!
I want to do the recipe for someone that cannot have gluten. Can i use cornstarch instead of flour for the fish?
I can’t even explain how good this was! I pan fried the fish with flour in a bit of oil, it had nice crunch, in addition to the nuts. I also made a creamy tahini salad with parsley, tomatoes, onions, tahini, garlic and lemon. Just sooo good!
Yum! So glad you enjoyed!
Wish you included in the recipe that the meal is best served with Tahini sauce. I only read the recipe section of the blog & when I went to make it I hadn’t picked up the ingredients to make the tahini sauce. The meal was still good, but a bit bland without the sauce.
Thank you for your feedback! I believe this recipe can be just as good without the Tahini Sauce due to the seasonings, so if you don’t have the ingredients for the sauce, next time I recommend adding larger quantities of the seasoning. Let me know how it goes if you decide to give this another try but with the Tahini Sauce!
Can’t wait to make this day after tomorrow for my sister’s graduation dinner! One question, how many grams of chopped onion do you use? If that’s hard to answer then, are your onions small, medium, or large in size?
Thank you!
That’s so exciting! I would use around 3-4 large onions.
Your recipe’s look
Yummy
Thank you so much!
what are the spices you used to make this dish?
Turmeric, coriander, and cinnamon! The exact amounts can be found on the recipe card.
Awesome recipe thank you for sharing! My rice was a little wetter than I like. Should I just cut back the water? I even let it cook 20 minutes with a 5 minute rest time. Maybe removing the cover while it sets might work?
Thank you so much! I always turn the timer on for 5-10 minutes (depending on the quantity of rice I make) and allow the rice to steam in the pot to absorb any extra liquid. It helps to let the grains separate to yield a more fluffy consistency.
Thank you for your reply Yumna! The recipe was really easy and tasted so delicious! Everybody agreed! Thanks again for sharing! Will definitely be using your recipe again soon, with halibut!
Of course! Yay! You’re so welcome!
Oh my goodness, this is such a delicious recipe! My husband I tried it this weekend and this was easy to make.
Thank you so much, Deborah! I’m so glad to hear you both enjoyed it!
Had some cod in refrigerator and didn’t know how to prepare it. I came to your website and found this awesome recipe, of course! I couldnt believe how easy it was, so delicious and flavorful, my husband said it taste just like Moroccan bstilla! I blanched and fried the almonds. I will definitely be making again, just like all your recipes I try 🙂🙂 thanks Yumna! 💜💜
That’s amazing! Thank you so much for all your support, Marissa!
I just finished cooking this dish and serving it to my family. It was an instant hit and my kids have already asked me to make it again. And it was just so easy to make. I didn’t have cod, so I used talupa. I suspect this dish might taste amazing with anything. My wife almost died when our youngest got up from the table and said “Thank you daddy, that was yum”. She normally doesn’t like fish, but went back for seconds…and has probably never said “thank you” once in her life.
I’m so happy to hear everyone enjoyed it with tilapia. That’s amazing!!
hi there–can you gv a bit more instruction on the fish. I used Haddock and put salt and pepper on the fish then fried in a pan for about 4 min on each side but it fell apart and my husband said it was bland ? thanks, Linda
Hi Linda, sure thing! I usually keep it very simple because I mix it in with the rice afterwards. But if you’d like more flavoring, I recommend coating the fish in all-purpose flour after seasoning with salt and pepper. That will help it hold well together and the breading gives it really good flavor. It’s more traditional to even deep fry the fish if you’d like! Hope that works 🙂
I had been craving sayadieh for a long time but always had the impression that it was a difficult recipe. Thanks to Yumna and this awesome recipe I made it and it tasted delicious. Extra points because my 2 picky eaters enjoyed it. This will become a staple in my house.
Thanks Yumna. I’m an avid follower of yours and enjoy trying out your recipes.
I’m so glad you finally made it and that you all loved it! Thank you so much!! Hope you continue to enjoy the recipes.
Made this last Sunday, I was looking for something different and came across this recipe on your Instagram. I didn’t know this dish, but since my family and I appreciate middle eastern food, decided to try! OMG it’s sooo good!!! Simple yet different from our everyday food. Loved it! Definitely doing again soon. Thank you Yumna 🙌🙌😘😘
Aww I’m so glad you experimented with something new and enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback 🙂
Made this last night – very tasty.
a few (hopefully constructive) comments
1. 2 cups of rice doesn’t seem much for 8 people – I used 2 cups for 4 of us, expecting some leftovers, but it all got eaten. I’d normally use 1 cup of rice per 2 portions.
2. The web site allows you to change the number of portions and that automatically changes the quantity of ingredients required, but it doesn’t update the narrative, so, for example, however much rice you need, the narrative always shows “add 4 cups of water” – might catch someone out.
3. 18 minutes seems a long time to cook the rice, though I guess that depends on the age ?
Mine was perfectly cooked after 12 mins (plus 5 mins resting time)
4. The Tahini sauce was a definite must. Really lifted the dish 🙂
Hi there! Thanks so much for your feedback! Normally 1 cup of rice is 4 servings according to the ingredient labels for rice. So I just use that as the metric for all my rice dishes. Adding in the fish makes it a fuller meal. Good note about the portion change and the narrative instructions, I will update that! And I cook most of the rice 15-18 minutes for the texture I like, but I think 12 minutes sounds good too! Glad you liked the tahini!
Can you use fresh ginger here? I have a nub of it I’m trying to use before it goes bad ..
Absolutely. You can sub 1 tablespoon fresh for every teaspoon dried.
Thank you! I did go ahead and make this. I used 3/4 tsp fresh ginger. I made the rest of the rice to recipe. Really great flavor! I made with salmon but it wasn’t the best combo my opinion. I’m sure the white fish is better, but we don’t usually eat white fish. I will keep looking for another stand-in though because the rice alone was fantastic!
Delicious! Loved this recipe! Will definitely be making it again! (Maybe I’ll add raisins next time 🤔😍)
Love the idea of adding raisins! Thank you!
Good Evening! Made Sayadieh over the weekend and it was so good!! Tonight made a simple vegetable salad and added the leftover fish and rice! Thank you for sharing your recipes, your love of food and passion for cooking! So inspiring. 🤩
That’s amazing. Thank you so much!! I truly appreciate it
Delicious! Easy to make. I always appreciate the little notes (like storage) it help a lot!
So happy to hear that!! Thank you!
Super easy and super delicious! Loved it.
Thanks so much!!
Thanks for sharing! This was my second recipe that I followed of yours and you are 2/2. We are family of six and everyone of us enjoyed this dish. Keep posting, my next attempt will be the falafel.
Aww I’m happy to hear that!! I hope you enjoy the falafel too!!
This was delicious! We added a Handful of salad to it for some crunch ??
Oh perfect! I love serving it with salad!
This was super simple to make and as all FeelGoodFoodie recipes–DELICIOUS!
Thanks for the amazing recipe Yumna–you rock!
Aww thank you so much!! Glad you liked it!
Delicious and so easy to make. My daughter asked for seconds.
So glad to hear it. Thank you!
Was so delicious and easy to make!
So glad you liked it. Thank you!