Sayadiyah

Sayadiyah is a dish of spiced rice cooked with fish and topped with caramelised onions, from Bahrain. It belongs to the fish-and-rice cooking of the Gulf and is also made in Kuwait, so it is shared between the two countries. The name is written صيادية in Arabic, and it appears in English under several spellings, so a diner may find it under any of them.

What it really is

Fish is simmered with spices, and the rice is cooked in that spiced stock, so the grains take on the flavour of the fish. The spices that go into the pot are cumin, saffron and garlic. The fish is often a firm white fish such as hamour, a type of grouper, which holds together in the liquid. Onions are cooked slowly until they turn dark gold and sweet, and they are piled over the rice and fish at the end. The onions are part of the dish, not a garnish added afterwards.

How it's served

• Hot, with the rice and fish brought to the table together.
• The fish set on the rice, with the caramelised onions spooned over the top.
• Often on a large platter for sharing, with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the fish.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the fish, for example hamour, or write "fish of the day" and state the species you serve.
• Flag fish as an allergen. Ask the kitchen whether the rice or onions are finished with butter or ghee, which add milk.
• Say whether the fish is cooked on the bone, since many guests want to know before they eat.
• List cumin, saffron and garlic as the spices, and say whether the onions are cooked in oil.
• State that the dish is not suitable for vegetarians, because it is cooked with fish and fish stock.