You find the egg-and-lemon finish, also called bel tarbeyah, in all Middle Eastern countries. In Greece it is the famous avgolemono. Use skinned fish fillets—white fish such as cod or haddock—or have a mixture of seafood including peeled shrimp and, if you like, a handful of mussels (to clean and steam mussels, see page 198).

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　6 cups fish or chicken bouillon (use 2 fish or chicken bouillon cubes)

　　1/4 teaspoon saffron powder or threads or 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

　　2 ounces vermicelli, broken into small pieces, or little pasta like orzo (they are called lissan al assfour, bird’s tongues, in Arabic)

　　2 pounds skinned fish fillets, or 1 1/2 pounds fillets with 1/2 pound shrimp and a dozen or so mussels

　　3 eggs

　　Juice of 1–2 lemons or 3–4 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

　　Salt and pepper

　　1 teaspoon cinnamon to garnish (optional)

　　

Step 1

Bring the stock to a boil in a large pan. Add the saffron, vermicelli, and fish fillets, cut into pieces, and cook 3–6 minutes, until the vermicelli is tender and the fish begins to flake. Add the seafood, if using, for the last 2–3 minutes of cooking.

　　

Step 2

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the lemon juice. Add a ladle of the liquid soup and beat well. Then pour the egg mixture into the soup and stir for a minute or so over low heat, until the soup thickens a little. Do not let it boil, or the eggs will curdle. Taste and add salt and pepper.

　　

Step 3

Serve at once, dusted, if you like, with cinnamon.

　　

Variation

Step 4

A Tunisian version has 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 large boiled potatoes cut into pieces, and 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro added to the stock.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf