Prep and cook 40 minutes
Tahini’s creamy texture and subtle flavor blends well with the lemon juice without overpowering the subtle taste of this Mediterranean baked fish.
There is something special about serving a whole fish. To me it represents the abundance of nature’s many gifts to us and in the Middle East, it is often served as a treat or on special occasions.
There are a whole host of recipes out there for baked fish but many of them seem to involve rich sauces or spices which overpower the subtle taste of the fish.
This is one of my favorites. It is an adaptation of the way fish is often served in the Middle East, simply baked with a Tahini sauce on the side. The tahini’s creamy texture and subtle flavor blends well with lemon juice and allows the taste of the fresh fish to come through.
It works with any whole fish that is in season and in this recipe, I used a Black Sea bass. The fish is stuffed with slices of lemon, onion and tomato, a handful of fresh parsley and baked.
Served with the lemony tahini sauce on the side, it is truly a delicious, festive and healthy way to dine.
Middle Eastern Baked Fish With Tahini
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- A mandolin to slice the potatoes. If not, slice them as thin as you can.
Ingredients
FOR THE BAKED FISH
- 1 lb fish scaled and cleaned Black Sea Bass, Branzino or Red Snapper works.
- 2 lemons thinly sliced
- ½ yellow onion thinly sliced
- 3 yukon Gold potatoes very thinly sliced
- ½ tomato, thinly sliced
- 3-4 garlic cloves sliced
- ¼ cup Whole parsley leaves
- 1 tsp Dry Oregano or fresh sprigs
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil for drizzling
FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE
- 3 tbsp Tahini paste
- 1 juice one large lemon
- 3 tsp water(or more for desired consistency)
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- Salt to taste
Instructions
FOR THE BAKED FISH
- Set Oven to 350 F
- Slightly oil a parchment covered sheet pan.
- Pat dry and slightly salt fish on both sides. With a sharp knife, make three shallow slits on the top side of the fish.
- Stuff with sliced lemons, onions, tomato, parsley and garlic and arrange lemons slices on top.
- Slightly oil a baking dish and lay the sliced potatoes on the bottom, overlapping if need be. Lay the stuffed fish on the potatoes, drizzle olive oil over fish and bake for 20-25 minutes until flaky.
FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE
- While the fish is baking, make the tahini sauce.
- In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of tahini paste with the lemon juice. It will start to thicken.
- Gradually add the water till you have the consistency of honey.
- Add the finely chopped parsley, salt to taste and set aside in a small serving bowl
Serve and plate
- Filet the fish and serve with a little Tahini sauce over the fish. Keep extra sauce on the side.
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