Aymen Baghdadi, a 53-year-old chef from Saudi Arabia, has stood at the stove for the royal family for two decades now. His hands know how to butcher a whole nagil fish weighing more than 13 kilograms without cutting it into pieces, so that on the table it retains its majestic appearance and juicy flavor, infused with nothing but sea salt.
The nagil fish is a favorite of royal feasts. It lives in the Red Sea, where warm waters and coral reefs give its flesh a dense texture and a faint mineral note. Baghdadi cooks it whole: a golden crust from frying on the outside, tender, almost buttery meat within that melts on the tongue. It is served with only salt, no spices, so as not to overpower its natural taste.
20 years ago, Baghdadi started with fish, and when King Abdullah ascended the throne, he moved on to lamb. Now he also cooks for King Salman. At large receptions where heads of state gather, the table groans under an abundance of dishes: roasted pieces of meat with white rice, almonds, cashews and raisins, likewise without spices, only salt; traditional tagines with chicken and vegetables; whole birds and fish. Every guest must find a dish of their own.
Baghdadi recalls how he first met King Salman and received an entry in his personal journal that he considers the highest reward. He travels with the monarchs on private trips, and the menu remains the same: the same fish, meat and tagines. What matters most is precision in the timing of serving and impeccable quality of the ingredients, which he selects as if he were cooking for his own home.
Today the royal chef's fame helps Baghdadi at his own restaurant. Guests come not only for the food but also for the story: for the feeling that each dish carries within it the traditions of Saudi hospitality and a respect for the simplicity of ingredients. In a world where spices often mask flavor, here they value the purity of sea salt and the freshness of Red Sea fish.
To taste true royal dishes, one should look for restaurants where the chefs follow the same principle: minimum seasoning, maximum freshness and whole large cuts. Best of all — in season, when the nagil fish is especially fatty, and a tagine with fragrant rice is sure to appear on the table beside it.
