Tahina Braised Fish
Tahina is one of my favorite sauces, and things to eat. Very few people use it for cooking. The challenge is not to use high heat since it can "break". In this case I pre-sear the fish and finish in the tahina sauce as a quick braise.
Category
Main Course
Servings/Yield
3-4
Author
Lior Lev Sercarz
Ingredients
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1/2 cup tahina (aka tahini)
Ice water
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Salt
Lemon juice
Pour the tahina into a bowl. Slowly whisk in the ice water until you obtain a creamy sauce. You can choose to have it thicker or runnier as you like. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice. Keep refrigerated if you are not using right away. This is a great sauce to have on hand for salads, spread and dips.
3-4 pieces of branzino or striped bass, boneless (about 3 to 4 ounces each)
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Olive oil
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Izak N37
Juice of half a lemon
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Salt
Classic Tahina Sauce
Braised Fish
Directions
Make the tahina sauce.
Season the fish on both sides with salt and Izak spice.
Heat some olive oil in the pan and sear the fish skin side down on medium high heat for about one minute to obtain a nice crispy skin.
Remove from the pan and set aside. Get rid of the cooking oil and let the pan cool down for about 2 minutes. Pour about 2/3 cup tahina sauce in the pan and warm on low heat. Once warm to touch add the fish into the pan skin side up. Continue cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes making sure the tahina barely simmers. Cook until fish is fully cooked.
Drizzle the lemon juice around and serve.
Recipe Note
Variations & Ideas:
• Use the same method with seared chicken breast. Make sure you cook the chicken on both sides until nearly fully cooked before finishing in the tahina sauce.
• Warm some tahina sauce in a pan and add some roasted brussels sprouts to the pan for a quick braise.
• From Christian - Try some other spices or fish to explore other flavors, some great ones include, Cataluña N22 with scallops (sear them on both sides), salmon with Izak (try adding a bit of sautéed spinach as well), the Sea of Seeds blend (apply only to the flesh side so you don't burn the sesame when searing) with white fish, or flounder with Mishmish N33 (serve this with sautéed fruit, nuts, and fluffy rice.
Questions? Contact helen@laboiteny.com
