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Samke Harra (Lebanese Spicy Fish)

White fish served in a spicy tarator yogurt sauce.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Lebanese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North African
Keyword: fish, red snapper, samke harra, snapper, spicy, tarator
Servings: 4 people
Author: The Elegant Economist

Ingredients

For the Fish:

  • 1 whole red / yellowtail snapper, scaled and cleaned (or 4 individual fillets of fresh white fish)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper, ground
  • 2 tsp harissa paste
  • ½ tsp urfa biber pepper, dried crushed
  • 2 to 4 lemon slices to stuff into fish cavity

For the Spicy Tarator Sauce:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ½ sweet onion, finely diced or yellow onion
  • 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 green pepper (capsicum), finely diced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced
  • 1 serrano pepper, finely diced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced Roma sized, I used heirloom
  • 1 tsp allspice, ground
  • ½ tsp coriander, ground
  • ½ tsp cumin, ground
  • ½ tsp Aleppo pepper, dried crushed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ - ½ tsp cayenne pepper, ground - to taste
  • 1 cup tahini
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt, full fat optional
  • handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • handful of fresh cilantro/coriander, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup toasted pine nuts, for garnish optional

Instructions

For the Fish:

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • On a foil-lined and lightly oiled baking sheet, place your fish. Use the harissa to coat both the outside and the cavity, stuffing the lemons inside. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili.
  • Cook for roughly 20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145°F (63°C). Remove from the oven and allow to rest.

For the Sauce:

  • Over medium heat, add olive oil and onions and cook until translucent. Add your garlic, green pepper, jalapeño, and serrano. Saute again until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add all of your spices.
  • In a separate vessel, combine your tahini and lemon, whisking into a sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, and add your tahini - lemon mixture. Allow to cool for five minutes, and then add Greek yogurt if desired, whisking a little in at a time to prevent it from curdling (even if it does curdle slightly, it will still taste good - so don't worry). Pour the completed sauce in your serving
  • Pour the completed sauce on to your serving platter, and place the cooked fish atop it. (If using filets, you'll want to pour half of the sauce on, add your filets, then use the rest to cover it. Top with your fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts.

Notes

NB. I have doubled the recipe in my photo, as I was feeding a group. 
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