Lebanese Fish with Herby Tahini Sauce
This sauce was the end of the jar of tahini I had. It was such a refreshing change from what we normally eat [summed up into a heavy rotation of Asian and Mexican foods with a sprinkling of pizza]. The original recipe had rice in it, but potatoes were what I had in the pantry. It was a perfectly acceptable substitute, but I can see why rice would be nice, too.
I rebelled in the fish department. I didn’t want to go buy fancy halibut when I had perfectly good tilapia in the freezer. It unthaws so easily. It cooks so quickly. It’s at least a white fish. It had that going for it.
As expected, when you have boring tilapia and boring roasted potatoes, the sauce is absolutely what makes it. The recipe wasn’t kidding when it says your tahini sauce mixture will begin to seize up when you add the lemon juice. Science is so awesome. The sauce was refreshing thanks to an entire bunch of parsley. The parsley and the lemon did the job of cutting through the rich tahini to create a flavorful sauce. I could have stood to thin it a little more, but it was perfectly acceptable the way it was. It’s also a really easy way to put down almost a cup of tahini in a single sitting without batting an eye. Everything in moderation.
Inspiration: Food52
Ingredients
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 3/4 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 – 3/4 cup water
- 1lb potatoes, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1/4″ rings
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2lbs white fish [recipe called for halibut, but I used tilapia without an issue]
- salt and fresh cracked pepper
Preparation
In a food processor, pulse the parsley and garlic together until minced and combined. Add the tahini and blend well. Drizzle in the lemon juice and blend again until the tahini starts to thicken and seize up. Add a pinch of salt and drizzle water into the food processor while it’s running until the mixture becomes a pourable consistency. Taste for additional salt and lemon juice. I added both.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with two tablespoons of olive oil, a couple pinches of salt, and cracked pepper. Spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Stir the potatoes and return the pan to the oven for another 10-20 minutes. The potatoes should be crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.
In a large pan, add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil on high heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are browned and caramelized. Set aside.
When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and change the oven temperature to broil. Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side until the edges are browning and the fish is cooked through.
To serve, place the fish on a bed of potatoes and caramelized onions. Spoon/pour the tahini sauce on top.