Afife Harris, from Lebanon, shows how to make samak bi tahini: fish baked in a tahini sauce.
He wanted to come home after studying in Lebanon where he met Afife, and spending two years in Australia, and found a job at the University of Otago.
Afife thought it was too cold and wanted to leave, but 22 years later she and her family of three sons are still here. As the oldest daughter, she learned to cook with her mother and never used recipes or a cookbook until she came to New Zealand.
In 2002, she started teaching Middle Eastern cooking at Logan Park High School.
She sells Lebanese food at the Otago Farmers Market, and demonstrates cooking at the Stadium market.
Samak bi tahini is a popular dish in Lebanon and surrounding areas.
Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and is used widely in the Middle East. Afife learned to make it from her mother, and they would eat this at weekends, along with rice and a salad such as tabbouleh or fattoush.
At home, whole fish, bones and all, would be used but fillets are easier to eat, she says.
This dish can be made cheaply using fish heads and wings, or it can be made fancier, with toasted almonds or pine nuts sprinkled on the top.
Samak bi tahini (fish with tahini sauce)
1kg fish fillets (blue cod, sole, any white fish will do)
5 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic (or to taste), crushed
½ cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice or to taste
about ¼ cup warm water
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Blanched almonds or pine nuts for decoration
Method
Preheat oven to 180degC.
Put the fillets in a baking dish and drizzle two tablespoons of the oil over. Put in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce.
Heat the remaining three tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, and soften the onion and one of the cloves of garlic in it.
Put the tahini in a bowl and add the lemon juice. This will thicken the tahini, so add some water and whisk until it is the consistency of yoghurt. Add salt.
Pour the tahini sauce over the softened onion and stir. It will thicken a little more, so add more water if needed. Remember, there will be some liquid from the fish. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, then taste. You may need to adjust the seasoning or might prefer more lemon. When the fish is ready, pour the sauce over and return the dish to the oven for 20 minutes.
To toast the almonds or pine nuts, put them in a dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring and shaking until they are browned on both sides. Set aside.
When the tahini sauce on the fish is bubbling, remove from oven, sprinkle the toasted nuts over, and serve with rice and a salad, such as tabbouleh or fattoush.
Tips
• If you don't like tahini, make a similar dish with fresh or tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic and oregano.
• In Lebanon, olive oil is used only for salads. Vegetable oil, like canola, is used for cooking.
• Stir tahini before using as the oil rises to the top and it becomes very thick at the bottom.
• This sauce is also delicious with shawarma or doner kebab.
• Thanks to Centre City New World.
