Lebanese Baked Fish with Tahini Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds any firm-fleshed white fish fillets or steaks (or 1 whole fish, about 2 1/2 pounds)
- Salt
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini*
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)
How to cook Lebanese Baked Fish with Tahini:
- Rinse the fish pieces (or whole fish) in cold water, pat dry with paper towels and rub lightly with salt. Set aside for half an hour to soak up the salt.
- In the meantime pour the tahini into a mixing bowl and gradually stir in the water and lemon juice, alternately, until you have a pale creamy liquid. The tahini will first thicken to a puree-like consistency before it starts to dilute again. If you use less lemon juice, make up for the reduction in liquid by adding more water. The sauce should be quite runny, like a thin, creamy soup.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Take a large non-stick frying pan, pour in vegetable oil to a depth of 1/2 inch and place over a medium heat. When the oil is hot (to test the heat dip in one end of a fish piece, and if the oil bubbles around it, it is ready), fry the fish pieces or whole fish for 1 minute on each side to seal. Remove fish with a slotted spoon and put on a plate for later use.
- Fry the sliced onion in the same oil as the fish until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drop the onion into the tahini sauce. Add salt to taste, mix well together and pour into a deep baking dish. Arrange the fish in the tahini and onion sauce, turning it to coat evenly, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and is bubbling all over. Serve tepid or at room temperature, garnished with a few pomegranate seeds (if you are using them).
Notes:
The Lebanese name for Baked Fish with Tahini recipe is Samak bil-Tahineh.
In Lebanon this dish is prepared with a whole fish, as there is no tradition of filleting or cutting fish; also because of our habit of using every bit of food we are preparing. The fish head, skin and bones make the sauce tastier, but the time spent picking the fish debris out of the sauce rather spoils the pleasure of savoring it. I therefore suggest using fish fillets or steaks for this recipe.
Comments:
*Tahini, zhimajiang, nerigoma, or sesame paste is a paste of ground sesame seeds used in cooking. Middle Eastern tahini is made of hulled, lightly roasted seeds. East Asian sesame paste is made of unhulled seeds.
This recipe for Lebanese Baked Fish with Tahini serves/makes: 4 – 6
The Lebanese Baked Fish with Tahini (Samak bil-Tahineh) recipe is adopted from The Lebanese Cuisine by Annisa Helou 1994.Main Ingredient: Various Fish
Preparation Method: Baked
Cuisine: Other Asian