Libya | Recipe

Hraime Libyan Fish

Name: Hraime Libyan Fish
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Libya, North Africa
Ingredients: 800 g firm white fish, cut into portions; 3 tbsp olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, sliced; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1½ cups crushed tomatoes; 2 tsp paprika; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground caraway; ½ tsp cayenne; 1 whole lemon, juiced; ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Libyan Jewish-style fish simmered in a fiery tomato, garlic, caraway, cumin, paprika, and chili sauce.

Country

Libya

Region

North Africa

Time

50 min

Serves

Level

easy

Explore Libya recipes Browse AfroKitchen

Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Hraime is a Libyan fish dish with a loud, generous sauce: tomato, garlic, paprika, cumin, caraway, lemon, and chili. The fish is simmered just until tender so the sauce stays bright and powerful.

What the dish tastes like

Libyan Jewish-style fish simmered in a fiery tomato, garlic, caraway, cumin, paprika, and chili sauce.

When to cook it

Best for Best for Friday night dinners, seafood lunches, and quick spicy mains., with a easy cooking level and about 50 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Bread, couscous, rice, lemon, and chopped cilantro.

Regional lane

Libya national table. A verified Libya dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.

How you know it is ready

The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.

Chef board

Build the table around Hraime Libyan Fish

Bread, couscous, rice, lemon, and chopped cilantro.

Best route from here

Libya national table

Collections to keep cooking

Explore Libya recipes

Servings 4

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Recipe

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Libya

4 steps 50 min total easy

Bloom spices

Cook garlic in oil, then add tomato paste, paprika, cumin, caraway, cayenne, and salt.

spice base 06:00

Make the sauce

Add crushed tomatoes and water, then simmer until the sauce thickens and smells sweet.

sauce 14:00

Simmer fish

Nestle fish into the sauce, cover, and simmer gently until just cooked.

fish 10:00

Finish bright

Add lemon juice and cilantro, then rest briefly before serving.

finish 03:00

Libyan Jewish versions often emphasize caraway and chili, while nearby North African versions may add more tomato, coriander, or preserved lemon.

Hraime Libyan Fish

What to know before you cook

Build the table around Hraime Libyan Fish

Step-by-step method

More AfroKitchen dishes from the same food atlas

Bazin

Asida

Mbakbaka

Mbatten