Lebanese Samkeh Harra Recipe

Lebanese Samkeh Harra Recipe

سمك حار (Samkeh Harra) means Spicy Fish in Arabic. This dish is unique because there are a variety of flavors infused into a light, flaky fish.  Tahini, pine nuts, and almonds makes for a nutty flavor.  

Cook Time40minutes mins

Total Time55minutes mins

CourseDinner, entree

Servings6

Ingredients

• 4 Lbs Red Snapper or pacific cod
• 20 cloves garlic
• 1 cup Tahini Paste
• 1 cup pine nuts raw
• 1/2 cup Italian parsley finely chopped
• 1.5 cups Lemon Juice
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 6 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Baking the Fish

1. If necessary, rub the fish with white vinegar and salt then rinse with cold water in order to tame down any smell.
2. If using whole scaled fish, cut slits in it prior to baking. Alternatively you can also use fish filets.
3. Rub fish with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle some lemon juice on it. If you’re cooking a whole scaled fish, insert lemon slices inside the fish for flavoring.
4. Place fish on olive oil-greased cooking tray and bake at 300F for 20-25 minutes.

Making the Garnish

1. In a small frying pan, mix 1 cup of pine nuts with 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil and fry on medium heat for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Be careful as they can burn very fast.
2. Set aside half of the fried pine nuts for garnish. And the other half crush them into a mortal and pestle and use them in making the sauce.

Making the Sauce

1. In a deep sauce pan, ad the crushed garlic, lemon juice, the Tahini paste, water, salt, coriander and chili powder. Mix well and cook on medium heat while stirring constantly (very important so they don’t stick or burn) until it boils then lower the heat.
2. Crush half of the pine nuts in a mortar and pestle then add them to the sauce pan mixing well then put on simmer.

Serving

1. • Lay the baked fish in a deep serving platter, pour the sauce on top, garnish with the finely chopped parsley and browned pine nuts. Serve hot with pita bread. This goes well with a side of Hummus and Tabbouleh Salad and enjoy.

Tahini Fish Recipe

The fish can be filets or whole (scaled). In the US, we found that the best fish for this recipe is the real Red Snapper, followed by Ling Cod or any pacific cod type of fish. I’ve had it made with Salmon before and it wasn’t as good, the strong Salmon flavor just didn’t go well with the Tahini.

Dried chili flakes, cayenne, and paprika create a spicy flavor.  And lemon and sumac impart a sour flavor.  This popular dish hails from the Levant region (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan) and embodies a spicy, nutty, and sour flavor.

You can use filets or scaled whole fish.  Any mild fish is great for this recipe because it allows the spices to shine.  I used Atlantic tilefish from my biweekly Fishadelphia fish share.     

You will find that the fish is quite literally swimming in the tahini sauce (pun intended).  If you prefer less, you can reduce the ingredients for the sauce.  Alternatively, you can use the leftover sauce as a dip for pita, a dressing for salad, or over a protein for another meal.

Depending on how spicy you like your food, you can either reduce or increase the amount of dried chili flakes and cayenne- those are the two spices that give this dish a kick.  Personally, I make mine with 1 Tbsp. dried chili flakes and ½ tsp. cayenne and I find that it is spicy but not overpowering. 

I encourage you to adapt this recipe to you own tastes and preferences.  Please feel free to leave questions, comments, and thoughts!

Notes

1. Sandwich: If you’d like to make Samke Harra into a sandwich, add the fish + Tahini sauce along the diameter of a pita bread, add lettuce and tomatoes, roll and enjoy.