spiced (insert name of fish here) with parsley oil, tahini, and pomegranate drizzle

All thanks are due to Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley for the inspiration for this dish. It’s a riff on one from their book, Falastin: A Cookbook.

Their version uses Salmon Kebabs.

For this version, you can use salmon, or any firm fleshed white fish fillets such as halibut, cod, haddock, halibut, or Chilean Sea Bass. We’ll finish it with a drizzle of tahini sauce, and another drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

At first glance, this recipe may look like a lot of steps and a lot of work, but that impression is deceiving.

• You make a couple of quick, easy, no-cook sauces.

• You char some onions.

• You season and cook some fish fillets.

• And you put them all together.

It’s simple really, and it’s way more than the sum of its parts. Your family and guests will be so impressed with this dish that you’ll almost be embarrassed by how easy it was. But we don’t have to tell them.

Tonight I’m serving this Spiced Fish with Parsley Oil, Tahini, and Pomegranate Drizzle with mahi-mahi. It’s going to pair beautifully with Ruby Ptitim Pilaf with Dill and Feta. In that dish, Israeli pearl couscous is toasted with aromatics, steamed in a flavorful stock, and tossed with lots of fresh dill and sheep’s milk feta. Tiny cubes of roasted beet supply the dye that transforms the pearls into rubies.

spiced fish with parsley oil, tahini, and pomegranate drizzle

Note: If you’re using fish fillets without skin, skip the step of first pan frying the skin side of the fillets and go directly to placing them in the baking dish.

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

For the fish

2 lbs fish fillets—salmon or any firm white fish, such as halibut or Chilean sea bass, skin on

1 tablespoon Falastin fish spice mix (see ingredients below)

2 teaspoons sumac

olive oil as needed

2 medium onions, sliced into 1/2 inch wide half-moons

Diamond Crystal salt and black pepper

1 lemon, cut into 4 or 6 wedges, to serve

For the parsley oil

1 packed cup parsley

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

⅓ cup olive oil

1 lemon

For the fish spice mix

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons dsground turmeric

For the tahini sauce

½ cup tahini paste—I like the flavor of the Soom brand best

2 to 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped=

¼  cup fresh lemon juice, more or less to taste.

½ to 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

6 tablespoons ice cold water, adjust for desired thickness

Method:

Make the fish spice mix:

• Place all of the spices in a bowl and mix well to combine. This will make more than you need. Transfer the rest to a sealed container. These spices are also very nice with chicken and with pan fried cubes of tofu. It will keep fresh for about 6 weeks.

• Do make sure to label the jar. Too many times, I’ve stored a spice mix in a jar, only to have no idea of what it is a few weeks later …

Season your fish fillets

• Set your fish on a flat surface, skin side down, and brush the flesh generously with olive oil.

• Sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of the spice mix, the sumac, about ¾ teaspoon of salt, and a generous grind of pepper.

• Set the fillets aside in the fridge for at least an hour.

Make the parsley oil

• Put the parsley, garlic, oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper into the bowl of a (preferably small) food processor.

• Blitz for about a minute until smooth, then transfer to a small bowl.

• Add a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste.

Make the onions

• Heat the broiler in your oven.

• Lightly drizzle the sliced onions with olive oil and spread them out on a baking sheet.

• Use your hands to evenly coat all the onion slices with the oil. Be thorough but sparing. Sprinkle them lightly with salt.

• Slide the baking sheet under the broiler and broil the onions for about 10 minutes, turning them every few minutes, or until they’re nicely charred.

Cook the fish

• Preheat the oven to 350°

• Heat a large frying pan with a glug of olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the fish fillets skin side down (if they have skin) into the sizzling oil and cook without moving them until the skin is crisp. This should only take a few minutes.

• Then, remove them to an oven safe dish that’s big enough to hold all the fillets in one layer. You may need to do this in several batches. Later, you can bring the fish to the table in this dish, or you can plate each portion individually.

• When all the fish is in the baking dish, slide it into the middle rack of the oven. Roast the fish until it’s cooked through and flakes when tested with a fork. The amount of time will depend upon the type of fish and the size of the fillets.

• When the fish is cooked through, scatter the charred onions onto a serving dish or individual plates, and place the fish fillets on top.

• Drizzle them lightly with tahini sauce, pomegranate molasses, and parsley oil. Bring the dish to the table and serve with more of all three sauces on the side.

Did you make it? Was it fabulous?