White fish served in a spicy tarator yogurt sauce.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Lebanese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North African
Keyword: fish, red snapper, samke harra, snapper, spicy, tarator
Servings: 4people
Author: The Elegant Economist
Ingredients
For the Fish:
1whole red / yellowtail snapper, scaled and cleaned(or 4 individual fillets of fresh white fish)
1tspsalt
½tspblack pepper, ground
2tspharissa paste
½tspurfa biber pepper, dried crushed
2 to 4lemon slicesto stuff into fish cavity
For the Spicy Tarator Sauce:
¼cupolive oil
½sweet onion, finely dicedor yellow onion
8clovesgarlic, finely chopped
1green pepper (capsicum), finely diced
1jalapeño pepper, finely diced
1serrano pepper, finely diced
2medium tomatoes, finely dicedRoma sized, I used heirloom
1tspallspice, ground
½tspcoriander, ground
½tspcumin, ground
½tspAleppo pepper, dried crushed
salt and pepper to taste
¼ - ½tspcayenne pepper, ground - to taste
1cuptahini
juice of 2 lemons
1cupGreek yogurt, full fatoptional
handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
handful of fresh cilantro/coriander, roughly chopped
¼cuptoasted pine nuts, for garnishoptional
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.