Za'atar salmon and tahini recipe
If you haven’t yet paired fish with tahini, then you’re in for a real treat. This version combines tahini with herbaceous za’atar and sour sumac. We strongly recommend using creamy, nutty tahini that’s sourced from countries within the Levant. Eat this shortly after cooking, as cooked tahini doesn’t sit or reheat very well.
Tips:
- Swap out the salmon for other sustainably caught fish, adjusting cooking times where needed.
- Use other leafy greens in place of spinach, such as kale or chard.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets (600g/21oz), skin on and pin bones removed
- 2 tbsp za’atar
- 2 tsp sumac, plus ½ tsp extra for sprinkling
- 60 ml olive oil
- 250 g baby spinach
- 90 g tahini
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3.5 tbsp lemon juice
- 1.5 tbsp roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 1 pinch each of salt and black pepper
Details
- Cuisine: Levant
- Recipe Type: Salmon
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 5 mins
- Cooking Time: 20 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C/475°F/gas mark 9.
- Pat dry the salmon and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the za’atar and sumac, then sprinkle this all over the top of the salmon to create a crust.
- Place a large ovenproof sauté pan on a medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the spinach and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook for 2–3 minutes, until just wilted.
- Top with the salmon, skin-side down, and drizzle the top of the fish with 2 tablespoons of oil. Bake for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the tahini, garlic, 2½ tablespoons of lemon juice, a good pinch of salt and 100ml/3.3fl oz of water until smooth and quite runny.
- When ready, remove the pan from the oven and pour the tahini all around the salmon (but not on the fish at all).
- Bake for another 5 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the tahini is bubbling.
- Spoon over the remaining tablespoon each of lemon juice and oil and top with the coriander and extra sumac.
This recipe is extracted from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi (Ebury Press, £25). All photography by Elena Heatherwick.
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Roasted cod with a coriander crust and tahini sauce
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Grilled avocado salad with tahini dressing