Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the fish fillets under cold water, pat dry and pull out any bones you can feel with tweezers. Cut the fish into cubes of about 4 cm so that each piece keeps a little skin; it holds the flesh together on the skewer.

2. 2

   Grind the saffron threads finely with the sugar in a mortar, pour over the hot water and leave to steep until the water is deep orange.

3. 3

   Peel the onion, grate it finely and squeeze the pulp hard in a clean tea towel over a bowl; discard the pulp. Stir the onion juice with the juice of one lemon, the oil, salt, pepper and half the saffron water.

4. 4

   Turn the fish cubes in the marinade and leave to marinate, covered, in the fridge, but for no longer than an hour, otherwise the lemon will make the flesh mushy.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, light the charcoal grill and wait about 30 minutes until the coals are covered in white ash. Wash the mint and radishes, trim the roots off the spring onions and arrange everything on a plate; cut the second lemon into wedges.

6. 6

   Melt the butter or margarine in a small pan and stir in the remaining saffron water. Take the fish cubes out of the marinade; discard the marinade and do not use it as a sauce, because it has been in contact with the raw fish.

7. 7

   Thread the fish cubes crosswise through the skin onto 8 flat metal skewers, close together but without pressing them, and rub the grill rack with a little oil.

8. 8

   Grill the skewers over medium-hot embers, turning them about every 2 minutes and brushing them each time with the melted saffron butter or margarine.

9. 9

   Test for doneness on a thick piece: the flesh is no longer translucent and comes away from the skin and bones, and the core temperature is 62 to 65 °C. Without a charcoal grill, grill and baste the skewers for the same length of time on the second shelf from the top under the oven grill, preheated to its highest setting.

10. 10

    Serve the skewers with the lemon wedges and the plate of herbs. Watch out for fine bones, especially with carp, and give children the fish flaked and with all bones removed.

11. 11

    Tip: Thin flatbread such as Nanê sêlê — wafer-thin flatbread from the domed griddle, used to roll up the fish and herbs, is the classic accompaniment, along with grilled tomatoes. Soak wooden skewers in water for half an hour beforehand so that they do not burn. For a dairy-free version, brush the skewers with oil stirred together with the saffron instead of butter or margarine.