Samke Harra (Spicy Lebanese Baked Fish with Tahini)

Prepared by baking instead of deep-frying, this traditional Levant dish balances high-quality sea bass protein with healthy fats from tahini and walnuts.

Ingredients

Calories next to each ingredient are for that ingredient across the whole recipe (4 servings), not per serving.

• 750 g (1.65 lbs) sea bass fillets · 930 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tbsp (13 g) olive oil · 115 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 medium onion (110 g), finely diced · 44 kcal in the whole recipe
• 4 garlic cloves (16 g), minced · 24 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 red kapya pepper (100 g), finely diced · 31 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 hot chili pepper (20 g), seeded and finely chopped · 7 kcal in the whole recipe
• 30 g fresh cilantro, finely chopped · 7 kcal in the whole recipe
• 2 tbsp (30 g) tahini · 178 kcal in the whole recipe
• 3 tbsp (45 g) fresh lemon juice · 10 kcal in the whole recipe
• 20 g walnuts, finely chopped · 131 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 3 tbsp water, salt, black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F), season sea bass fillets with salt and black pepper, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.

   

2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté onion, garlic, red pepper, and hot pepper for 5 minutes, then stir in cumin, paprika, and cilantro for 1 minute before removing from heat.

   

3. Whisk tahini, lemon juice, chopped walnuts, and water together in a small bowl until smooth.

   

4. Spread the sautéed vegetable mixture over the partially baked sea bass, pour the tahini sauce on top, and bake at 200°C (400°F) for another 8-10 minutes until golden.

   

A Besly kitchen recipe — portions, macros and step photos by Besly.