← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 800 g thick white fish fillets (cod, sea bass or snapper)
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 Red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 tsp Pul biber (Aleppo-style pepper flakes)
• 120 g Tahini
• 1½ Lemon, juiced (about 5 tbsp)
• 120 ml cold water, or as needed
• 30 g Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 30 g Pine nuts, toasted

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Rub the fish with 1 tbsp oil, half the salt and the cayenne and lay it in a baking dish.
2. Roast for 12–15 min until the fish is just opaque and flakes easily.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pan over medium heat and soften the onion for 6–8 min. Add the garlic, chilli, ground coriander and pul biber and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, water and remaining salt into a smooth, pourable sauce (it will seize at first, then loosen). Pour it into the pan and simmer gently, stirring, for 2–3 min until it thickens a little. Stir in most of the fresh coriander.
5. Spoon the sauce over the fish and return it to the oven for 5 min until bubbling at the edges.
6. Scatter with pine nuts and the remaining coriander and serve with vermicelli rice or warm pita.

Tips

• Contains sesame (tahini) and pine nuts.
• If the sauce gets too thick as it simmers, loosen it with a splash of water; it should coat the fish like heavy cream.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Mama's Lebanese Kitchen Unicorns in the Kitchen Maureen Abood