By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 11, 2026
Serves 10
387 cal · 75 min
Samaka Harra (Syrian Spiced Fish)
Recipe GLPRb846e112b7db10
A whole roasted red snapper infused with a vibrant, spiced sauce made from fresh chilies, garlic, tomato, and cumin. This Syrian classic features aromatic layers of flavor that permeate the fish as it bakes, creating a fragrant and deeply seasoned dish. Finished with fresh cilantro and served in its own flavorful juices.
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Ingredients
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 fresh red or green long chili peppers, seeded
1 small onion, cut into pieces
1 large ripe tomato (about 9 to 10 ounces), peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds
1 whole red snapper (about 6 pounds), scaled, gutted, and cleaned with head and tail intact
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
Pound the garlic cloves with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a mortar and pestle until the mixture becomes a smooth paste.
Place the seeded chili peppers and onion pieces in a food processor and pulse until finely minced.
Add the peeled and seeded tomato to the food processor and pulse in short bursts until the tomato is chopped to a chunky consistency. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
Stir the pounded garlic paste, tomato paste, and ground cumin into the bowl with the chili-tomato mixture. Set the sauce aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rinse the whole red snapper thoroughly under cold water and pat it completely dry with paper towels.
Using a sharp knife, make three diagonal scores on each side of the fish, cutting through the skin and slightly into the flesh. These cuts will help the spice mixture penetrate the fish during cooking.
Place the scored fish in a large baking pan. Drizzle both sides with the extra-virgin olive oil, rubbing it gently over the entire surface.
Season the fish inside and out with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Spread the prepared spiced sauce evenly over both sides of the fish, working it into the scores and cavity.
Bake the fish for approximately 55 minutes, until the dorsal fin lifts away easily when gently tugged. The flesh should be opaque and reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit at the thickest part. Baste the fish two or three times during cooking with the accumulated olive oil and pan juices.
Remove the fish from the oven and sprinkle the fresh chopped cilantro over the top. Serve the fish in its baking pan or transfer carefully to a serving platter, spooning the pan juices and sauce over it.
Comments
Red snapper and fresh cilantro are both readily available at Harris Teeter, Publix, and Kroger in Charlotte, with reliable seafood counters, so ingredient shopping stays in one trip. At roughly $12–14 per pound for snapper and modest costs for aromatics and spices, you'll spend around $35–45 total, landing at $3.50–4.50 per serving—reasonable for a seafood dish that feeds ten. The 75 minutes is honest: baking snapper whole with a spiced tomato sauce takes time, but most of it is hands-off in the oven, making this genuinely weeknight-friendly. Leftovers reheat well if covered, though the delicate fish texture is best the same day; the real caveat is that serving ten requires commitment to a full-size snapper and a large vessel, so this works best for actual company rather than a casual family meal."
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