[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":409},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:iraqi-masgouf":3,"recipe:country:iraq":190},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":68,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":77,"diet":79,"mainIngredients":83,"ingredients":89,"instructions":134,"nutrition":164,"images":171,"keywords":181,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"iraqi-masgouf","Masgouf (Iraqi Split-Grilled River Carp)","مسكوف","mas-GOOF","iraq","Baghdad and the Tigris","🐟","A whole carp butterflied down the back, painted with tamarind, turmeric and oil, then cooked slowly beside a wood fire until the skin blisters and the flesh turns sweet and smoky.","Masgouf is a whole freshwater fish — classically carp — split open down the spine so it lies flat like an open book, rubbed with a thin tamarind-and-turmeric paste, and cooked very slowly by radiant heat before being finished directly over embers. The flesh ends up dense rather than flaky, faintly sweet from the river fish itself, sour and slightly resinous from the tamarind, and heavily perfumed with smoke on the skin side. Along the Tigris it is cooked outdoors in front of a standing fire of apricot or orchard wood, the fish staked upright in a ring around the flames, and eaten with bread, raw onion and pickles rather than with rice. This version adapts the geometry to a domestic grill or oven without giving up the two things that matter: gentle heat first, hard smoke last.","Masgouf belongs to the Tigris more than to any kitchen. The riverbank restaurants of Baghdad built their entire trade on it — tanks of live carp out front, a long open fire of split orchard wood in a shallow pit, and the fish staked in a semicircle around it, skin outward, cooking for an hour or more from nothing but radiant heat. Only at the end are they laid flat on the embers, flesh side down for a few minutes, which is the moment the smoke actually gets in. The word itself points at the method rather than the fish: it describes something propped up and slow-roasted rather than grilled in the ordinary sense.\n\nCarp is the traditional choice because it is what the river gives, and because its firm, fatty flesh survives a long slow cook without drying. That same fish is treated with suspicion in a lot of European kitchens for tasting muddy, and the Iraqi treatment answers that objection directly: the tamarind rub, the raw onion and the pickled vegetables eaten alongside are all working against any earthiness in the flesh. Eaten this way, with torn bread and a squeeze of lemon, the muddiness argument mostly evaporates.\n\nIt is also social food, not a weeknight dinner. Masgouf is ordered for a table of people, cooked to order over the better part of an hour, and brought out on a large tray with the flat fish still on its board, surrounded by flatbread, sliced onion, tomato, lemon and amba. Nobody plates it. Everybody tears bread and works inward from the edges, and the meal takes as long as it takes. Iraqis abroad tend to name it first when asked what they miss, which is a fair measure of its standing: not the most complicated dish in the country, but the one most tied to a specific riverbank and a specific afternoon.",[15,16,17,18],"Two-stage cooking — long gentle heat, then a short hard finish over the embers — which is what actually reproduces the riverbank texture on a home grill.","A real tamarind rub rather than a generic lemon marinade, because the sourness is the point of the dish.","Clear guidance on butterflying the fish down the back instead of the belly, the cut that defines masgouf.","An honest oven-plus-broiler fallback for anyone without a live fire, with the trade-offs spelled out.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Ask the fishmonger to butterfly the carp down the back and leave the belly skin joined — this is a hard cut to do well the first time and takes them thirty seconds.","Dry the fish thoroughly with paper towels before rubbing it. A wet surface steams instead of taking on colour, and the skin will never blister properly.","Keep the fish far from the flames at first. If the skin is browning within ten minutes the heat is too high, and the inside will still be raw when the outside is finished.","Salt the flesh side only in the last twenty minutes of cooking; salting at the start pulls out moisture that the long slow phase cannot put back.","Soak a couple of handfuls of untreated fruitwood chips and scatter them on the coals for the final flesh-down phase — that short burst is where the smoke flavour is made.","If the fish tastes muddy to you, serve more raw onion and more lemon rather than more spice; that is exactly what the traditional accompaniments are for.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Whole carp","Whole sea bass, grey mullet, trout or tilapia, 1.5–2 kg","Carp is traditional and holds up best to the long cook. Any firm whole fish works, but thin-fleshed fish need the slow phase cut roughly in half.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Tamarind pulp","2 tbsp tamarind concentrate, or 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses","Pomegranate molasses is sweeter and darker but sits in the same sour family, and is genuinely used in some Iraqi households.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Charcoal or wood fire","Oven at 170°C, then 5 minutes under a hot broiler","The texture comes out right; the smoke does not. Add a pinch of smoked paprika to the rub if you are going the oven route and want a hint of it.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Masgouf with amba","Served with amba, the tangy fermented mango pickle that came to Iraq through Basra trade. A spoonful on top of a bite of fish and bread is the standard riverside move.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Tomato-topped finish","Some cooks lay thin slices of tomato and onion across the flesh for the last stretch of cooking so they soften and scorch into the fish rather than being served raw on the side.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Simach mahshi","A related preparation where the butterflied fish is stuffed with fried onion, raisins, almonds and baharat before roasting, turning it from a grill dish into an oven centrepiece.",[50],"Flatbread, thickly sliced raw onion, tomato, lemon wedges and a dish of pickles — masgouf is eaten with bread, not with rice.","Masgouf is at its best within minutes of coming off the fire and does not reward keeping. Leftover flesh will hold 2 days refrigerated in a covered container; pull it off the bones first, because the skin goes leathery and the frame makes it taste stronger overnight. Reheat gently in a covered pan with a splash of water, or better, use it cold in a sandwich with onion, lemon and pickle. Do not freeze cooked masgouf — the texture that the slow cook produces collapses completely on thawing.",[53,56,59,62,65],{"question":54,"answer":55},"Why is the fish cut down the back and not the belly?","Cutting along the spine and opening the fish out leaves the belly skin intact, which forms a natural hinge and holds the two halves together as one flat sheet. That shape is what allows the fish to be staked upright beside a fire without falling apart, and it also keeps the fattier belly meat protected from the direct heat so it bastes the rest as it cooks.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Can I make masgouf without a wood fire?","Yes, though you trade away the smoke. Roast the butterflied fish flesh-side up in a 170°C oven for about 45 minutes, then run it under a very hot broiler for 5 minutes to blister the surface. The flesh will be correct in texture and seasoning; for a hint of the original, add smoked paprika to the rub or finish it on a gas grill with soaked wood chips in a foil packet.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"How do I stop carp from tasting muddy?","Muddiness lives mostly in the dark lateral line meat and the skin, so trim the dark strip along the centre of each fillet after butterflying and rinse the fish in cold salted water. The tamarind rub, the raw onion and the lemon served alongside are all traditional counterweights, and using a farmed carp from clean water rather than a wild river fish helps more than any technique.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"How do I know when the fish is done?","The thickest part of the flesh, right behind the head, should be opaque all the way to the bone and register about 60°C on an instant-read thermometer. Visually, the flesh loses its glassy look and the surface fat starts to bead up. Because masgouf is cooked slowly, it is far more forgiving than a fast-grilled fillet, but past 65°C it starts to go dry and cottony.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"What do I serve with masgouf?","Bread, raw vegetables and something sour — never rice. The Iraqi table sets out flatbread, thickly sliced onion, tomato, lemon wedges, pickled turnips or cucumbers and often amba mango pickle. Diners tear bread, take a piece of fish, add onion and pickle, and eat with their hands, which is why nothing on the table needs a knife.",[69,70,71,72],"Charcoal grill or fire pit (or an oven with a broiler)","Large sharp knife or kitchen shears","Fish basket or two large flat grill racks","Instant-read thermometer",4,30,60,"medium",[78],"main",[80,81,82],"pescatarian","dairy-free","gluten-free",[84,85,86,87,88],"carp","tamarind","turmeric","lemon","onion",[90,95,99,103,107,109,113,116,120,124,126,129],{"ref":84,"qty":91,"unit":92,"name":93,"group":94},2,"kg","whole carp, scaled and gutted, butterflied down the back","For the fish",{"ref":85,"qty":75,"unit":96,"name":97,"group":98},"g","tamarind pulp, soaked in 100 ml hot water and strained","For the rub",{"ref":100,"qty":73,"unit":101,"name":102,"group":98},"olive-oil","tbsp","olive oil or neutral oil",{"ref":86,"qty":104,"unit":105,"name":106,"group":98},1,"tsp","ground turmeric",{"qty":104,"unit":105,"name":108,"group":98},"baharat or mixed ground allspice, cinnamon and black pepper",{"ref":110,"qty":73,"unit":111,"name":112,"group":98},"garlic","clove","garlic, crushed to a paste",{"qty":91,"unit":105,"name":114,"note":115,"group":98},"coarse salt","added late, not at the start",{"ref":88,"qty":91,"unit":117,"name":118,"group":119},"piece","large onions, thickly sliced into rounds","To serve",{"ref":121,"qty":122,"unit":117,"name":123,"group":119},"tomato",3,"ripe tomatoes, sliced",{"ref":87,"qty":91,"unit":117,"name":125,"group":119},"lemons, cut into wedges",{"ref":127,"qty":73,"unit":117,"name":128,"group":119},"pita-bread","flatbread, warmed",{"qty":130,"unit":131,"name":132,"optional":133,"group":119},null,"to taste","pickled turnips or cucumbers, and amba if you have it",true,[135,139,142,146,149,154,158,161],{"title":136,"text":137,"tip":138},"Butterfly and trim the fish","Lay the carp on its side and cut along one side of the backbone from head to tail, then open the fish out flat, leaving the belly skin joined so both halves stay connected. Trim away the dark reddish strip running down the centre of each fillet — that is where any muddy flavour concentrates — and pat the whole fish bone dry.","A fishmonger will do this cut in half a minute. Ask for it butterflied down the back, not the belly.",{"title":140,"text":141},"Make the tamarind rub","Whisk the strained tamarind liquid with the oil, turmeric, baharat and crushed garlic until it looks like thin mud and coats the back of a spoon. Do not add the salt yet.",{"title":143,"text":144,"timerSeconds":145},"Paint the fish","Brush the rub generously over the cut flesh and into every crease, then turn the fish and coat the skin side as well. Leave it uncovered at room temperature for 20 minutes so the surface dries slightly and the turmeric stains the flesh yellow.",1200,{"title":147,"text":148},"Build a one-sided fire","Light a chimney of charcoal and rake it all to one side of the grill, adding a few chunks of untreated fruitwood if you have them. You want a fire you can hold your hand near for four or five seconds — radiant heat, not a searing bed directly under the fish.",{"title":150,"text":151,"timerSeconds":152,"tip":153},"Cook slowly, skin side down","Clamp the fish in a fish basket or sandwich it between two racks and set it skin side down on the cool side of the grill, as far from the coals as it will sit. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes, turning the basket end to end every 15 minutes so it colours evenly. The flesh should slowly go from glassy to opaque without ever sizzling hard.",2700,"If the skin is already dark at the 15-minute mark, move the fish further from the fire or damp the coals down.",{"title":155,"text":156,"timerSeconds":157},"Salt, then finish over the embers","Sprinkle the coarse salt over the flesh, then move the basket directly over the coals flesh side down for 4–6 minutes. Scatter soaked wood chips on the fire at this moment. You are looking for scorched edges, a hard smoky smell, and beads of fat rising on the surface — not for further cooking.",300,{"title":159,"text":160,"timerSeconds":157},"Check and rest briefly","Open the basket and press the thickest part behind the head; it should flake cleanly to the bone and read about 60°C. Slide the fish flat onto a large board or tray and let it sit for 5 minutes while you lay out the bread and vegetables.",{"title":162,"text":163},"Serve on the board","Surround the fish with the sliced onion, tomato, lemon wedges and pickles and bring the whole board to the table with warm flatbread. Everyone tears off bread, lifts fish straight from the board and builds their own bites — no plating, no cutlery.",{"calories":165,"protein":166,"carbs":167,"fat":168,"fiber":122,"sugar":169,"sodium":170,"estimated":133},520,46,18,28,6,780,[172,175,177,179],{"src":173,"alt":174},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Firaqi-masgouf\u002Fhero.jpg","A whole carp split flat and grilled, skin blistered and flesh stained gold with turmeric, served on a board with onion and lemon",{"src":176,"alt":174},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Firaqi-masgouf\u002Fhero-16x9.jpg",{"src":178,"alt":174},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Firaqi-masgouf\u002Fhero-4x3.jpg",{"src":180,"alt":174},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Firaqi-masgouf\u002Fhero-1x1.jpg",[182,183,184,185,85,186,187],"masgouf","iraqi fish","grilled carp","tigris","baghdad","whole fish","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":191,"total":372,"page":104,"limit":407,"hasMore":408},[192,217,243,272,294,318,325,345,368,389],{"slug":193,"title":194,"nativeName":195,"countrySlug":8,"region":196,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":197,"cookMinutes":198,"difficulty":199,"course":200,"diet":201,"mainIngredients":202,"images":205,"keywords":209,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"iraqi-bamia","Bamia (Iraqi Okra and Lamb Stew)","بامية","Nationwide",25,95,"easy",[78],[81,82],[203,204,121,110,87],"okra","lamb",[206],{"src":207,"alt":208},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Firaqi-bamia\u002Fhero.jpg","A pot of Iraqi bamia with whole okra pods and chunks of lamb in a glossy red tomato broth",[210,211,212,213,214,215,216],"bamia","okra stew","iraqi lamb stew","dried lime","noomi basra","marag","one pot",{"slug":218,"title":219,"nativeName":220,"countrySlug":8,"region":196,"baseServings":169,"prepMinutes":221,"cookMinutes":222,"restMinutes":223,"difficulty":224,"course":225,"diet":226,"mainIngredients":227,"images":232,"keywords":236,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"iraqi-dolma","Iraqi Dolma (Mixed Stuffed Vegetables in One Pot)","دولمة عراقية",75,110,15,"hard",[78],[81,82],[228,204,229,230,231,85],"rice","eggplant","bell-pepper","pomegranate-molasses",[233],{"src":234,"alt":235},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Firaqi-dolma\u002Fhero.jpg","A tray of Iraqi dolma turned out as a dome, with stuffed peppers, aubergines, onion cups and vine leaf rolls in red broth",[237,238,239,240,241,242,216],"dolma","stuffed vegetables","iraqi","vine leaves","lamb and rice","pomegranate molasses",{"slug":244,"title":245,"nativeName":246,"countrySlug":8,"region":247,"baseServings":169,"prepMinutes":248,"cookMinutes":197,"restMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":249,"diet":252,"mainIngredients":255,"images":261,"keywords":265,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"kahi-wa-geymar","Kahi wa Geymar (Iraqi Buttery Pastry with Clotted Cream)","كاهي وقيمر","Baghdad",40,[250,251],"breakfast","dessert",[253,254],"vegetarian","nut-free",[256,257,258,259,260],"flour","butter","heavy-cream","cardamom","rose-water",[262],{"src":263,"alt":264},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkahi-wa-geymar\u002Fhero.jpg","Golden layered kahi pastry glistening with syrup, topped with a thick slab of pale clotted geymar cream",[266,267,268,269,270,186,271],"kahi","geymar","iraqi breakfast","layered pastry","clotted cream","cardamom syrup",{"slug":273,"title":274,"nativeName":275,"countrySlug":8,"region":196,"baseServings":248,"prepMinutes":276,"cookMinutes":277,"restMinutes":278,"difficulty":76,"course":279,"diet":281,"mainIngredients":282,"images":284,"keywords":288,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"kleicha","Kleicha (Iraqi Date and Cardamom Cookies)","كليجة",45,20,50,[251,280],"snack",[253,254],[256,283,259,257],"dates",[285],{"src":286,"alt":287},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkleicha\u002Fhero.jpg","A tray of spiral kleicha cookies with dark date filling visible in the swirl, dusted with sesame seeds",[273,289,290,259,291,292,293],"iraqi cookies","date cookies","eid baking","date paste","middle eastern sweets",{"slug":295,"title":296,"nativeName":297,"countrySlug":8,"region":298,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":299,"restMinutes":74,"difficulty":224,"course":300,"diet":302,"mainIngredients":303,"images":307,"keywords":311,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"iraqi-kubba","Kubba Mosul (Bulgur-Shelled Meat Patty from Northern Iraq)","كبة موصل","Mosul, Nineveh",35,[301,78],"street-food",[81],[304,204,305,306,88],"bulgur","almonds","raisins",[308],{"src":309,"alt":310},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Firaqi-kubba\u002Fhero.jpg","A golden fried bulgur disc cut into wedges, showing spiced lamb filling with almonds and raisins inside",[312,313,304,314,315,316,317],"kubba mosul","kibbeh","iraqi street food","stuffed patty","fried","mosul",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":319,"diet":320,"mainIngredients":321,"images":322,"keywords":324,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},[78],[80,81,82],[84,85,86,87,88],[323],{"src":173,"alt":174},[182,183,184,185,85,186,187],{"slug":326,"title":327,"nativeName":328,"countrySlug":8,"region":196,"baseServings":169,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":329,"restMinutes":223,"difficulty":224,"course":330,"diet":331,"mainIngredients":332,"images":334,"keywords":338,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"quzi","Quzi (Iraqi Slow-Roast Lamb over Spiced Rice)","قوزي",240,[78],[81,82],[204,333,305,306,88],"basmati-rice",[335],{"src":336,"alt":337},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fquzi\u002Fhero.jpg","A whole roasted lamb shoulder resting on a platter of spiced rice scattered with almonds, raisins and parsley",[326,339,340,341,342,343,344],"ghozi","iraqi lamb","slow roast lamb","spiced rice","wedding food","celebration",{"slug":346,"title":347,"nativeName":348,"countrySlug":8,"region":247,"baseServings":349,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":223,"restMinutes":350,"difficulty":199,"course":351,"diet":353,"mainIngredients":355,"images":357,"keywords":361,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"samoon","Samoon (Iraqi Diamond-Shaped Bakery Bread)","صمون",8,150,[352],"bread",[354,253,81,254],"vegan",[256,356,100],"yeast",[358],{"src":359,"alt":360},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsamoon\u002Fhero.jpg","Four diamond-shaped Iraqi samoon loaves with golden crackled crusts cooling on a wire rack",[346,362,363,364,365,366,367],"iraqi bread","diamond bread","baghdad bakery","flatbread","yeast bread","sandwich bread",{"slug":369,"title":370,"nativeName":371,"countrySlug":8,"region":196,"baseServings":169,"prepMinutes":372,"cookMinutes":299,"difficulty":199,"course":373,"diet":375,"mainIngredients":376,"images":379,"keywords":383,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"shorbat-adas","Shorbat Adas (Iraqi Red Lentil Soup)","شوربة عدس",10,[374],"soup",[253,82,254],[377,88,378,86,87],"lentils","cumin",[380],{"src":381,"alt":382},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fshorbat-adas\u002Fhero.jpg","A bowl of smooth golden red lentil soup with parsley and a lemon wedge beside warm flatbread",[384,385,386,387,388,253,377],"shorbat adas","red lentil soup","iraqi soup","ramadan","iftar",{"slug":390,"title":391,"nativeName":392,"countrySlug":8,"region":247,"baseServings":169,"prepMinutes":276,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":372,"difficulty":76,"course":393,"diet":394,"mainIngredients":395,"images":397,"keywords":401,"publishedAt":188,"updatedAt":188,"authorSlug":189},"tepsi-baytinijan","Tepsi Baytinijan (Iraqi Baked Eggplant Tray)","تبسي باذنجان",[78],[81,82],[229,396,121,204,88],"potato",[398],{"src":399,"alt":400},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftepsi-baytinijan\u002Fhero.jpg","A wide tray of baked aubergine, potato, tomato and lamb meatballs in reduced tomato broth, browned on top",[402,403,404,405,406,186],"tepsi baytinijan","iraqi eggplant","tray bake","aubergine casserole","lamb meatballs",24,false,1787360062441]