Iraqi · main

Masgouf (Split Carp Grilled Upright by an Open Fire)

Name: Masgouf (Split Carp Grilled Upright by an Open Fire)
Prep time: 2 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Cuisine: Iraqi
Ingredients: whole carp — 2500 g; olive oil — 54 g; tomato paste — 44 g; tamarind paste — 15 g; garlic — 24 g; turmeric — 10 g; salt — 15 g; freshly ground black pepper — 10 g; lemons — 160 g; tomatoes — 350 g; onions — 240 g; green chili pepper — 40 g; flat-leaf parsley — 20 g

Masgouf (Split Carp Grilled Upright by an Open Fire) reads sourness 6.6, umami 5.8 and citrus 5.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Iraqi main, about 2 hr 45 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.1 / 10
Sour & Bright — 8.3 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.6 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.1 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sourness 6.6 · Umami 5.8 · Citrus 5.7 · Richness 4.7 · Allium 4.2 · Salinity 3.9 · Sweetness 3.4 · Heat 2.6 · Fruity 2.4 · Herbaceous 2.4 · Bitterness 2.2 · Warm Spice 1.9 · Earthy 1.6 · Nutty 1.4 · Smoke 1.2 · Floral 0.7

What's in it (13)

whole carp — 2500 g
olive oil — 54 g
tomato paste — 44 g
tamarind paste — 15 g
garlic — 24 g
turmeric — 10 g
salt — 15 g
freshly ground black pepper — 10 g
lemons — 160 g
tomatoes — 350 g
onions — 240 g
green chili pepper — 40 g
flat-leaf parsley — 20 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 45 min (2 hr 15 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 23.6 kcal, 1 g protein, 0.9 g fat, 3 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Masgouf is cut down the back, not the belly, so the fish opens like a book and stays joined along the stomach. Ask the fishmonger to butterfly it that way; carp is traditional, and a large sea bass or a whole trout will work if it is not available.
Whisk the olive oil, tomato paste, tamarind, crushed garlic, turmeric, salt, pepper and the juice of one lemon into a loose brick-red paste, and rub it over the flesh side of the opened fish. Leave 30 minutes.
Build a hardwood fire and let it burn down to a bed of embers with flames still licking at one side, about 40 minutes. The classic method stands the fish vertically on stakes an arm's length from the flame, so it cooks by radiant heat rather than contact — slowly, and without ever touching a grill.
If you have a fire, pin the fish open with two skewers and stand it flesh towards the flames for 60 to 75 minutes, turning the stake once so both halves cook evenly. If you do not, lay it flesh side up in a heavy tray and cook under a very hot grill 25 cm from the element for 45 minutes; it is a compromise but the seasoning still works.
In the last 15 minutes, lay the tomato, onion and split chillies over the flesh and let them soften and scorch at the edges.
Finish the fish skin side to the fire, or directly on the embers, for 5 minutes so the skin crisps and takes on smoke.
Slide onto a board, scatter with parsley and serve with the lemon wedges, flatbread, pickles and raw onion. It is eaten with the hands, straight from the board.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Grilled Steak Fajitas — Tex-Mex
Steak Fajitas with Lime and Cilantro — Tex-Mex
Sheet-Pan Fajita Steak with Peppers — Tex-Mex
Loaded Beef Burrito Bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice — Tex-Mex
Carne Asada — Mexican

Keep reading: what sourness, umami, citrus mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

See how this dish fits your palate — take the short taste test →

Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.