Basic Tahini-Lemon Sauce, with Fish

Looking to add a new flavor to some of your basic recipes?

This sauce balances the rich nuttiness of tahini against the acidity of fresh lemon - a classic Palestinian combination.  (Read about all of the nourishing benefits of tahini here).  I love this sauce because it is so very versatile.  Drizzle over fish or chicken, pour over vegetables, use as a dressing for a salad or a sandwich - Palestinians use this sauce in many ways.  You already may have tried this sauce over kefta, a Palestinian meatloaf, but if you haven't, you should.  Sometimes without the parsley, this also makes a simple stand-alone dip for Arabic bread.  It is also the base for other dips, such as hummus and baba ghanoush. 

This easy sauce uses two little tricks: the first is to paste the garlic so that you do not crunch down on chunks of garlic in the sauce, and the second is to beat the tahini with the lemon juice until it becomes pale and creamy.

Tahini-Lemon Sauce

2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup tahini
2 or more fresh lemons OR 1/2 cup lemon juice, plus a little extra to taste
1 tsp sea salt
Cold water
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1.  Here's how to make garlic paste:  Mince the garlic finely and then sprinkle a little salt onto it.  Using the flat part of a chef's knife, mash the garlic and salt into your cutting board by dragging your knife back and forth across your board. 

2.  Mix up your tahini in its jar, then scoop out half a cup.  Pour it into a bowl, add the garlic, the juice of two lemons, and salt.  Beat this vigorously with a spoon or a whisk until it becomes creamy. 

3.  Gradually add cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until sauce thins out to desired consistency.  Taste and add more lemon juice or salt until the flavor is fairly tart.

4.  Stir in parsley.


Before:  garlic sprinkled with salt



After:  pasted garlic

And here is one easy way to use it, perfect for a weeknight dinner:  





 

 

Tahini-Lemon Sauced Fish

Lemon and fish are a classic combination - but I also love the tahini here. 

Prepare your favorite white, flaky fish any way you prefer - broil, fry, steam - and simply spoon this sauce over when serving, or serve on the side for dipping.  I breaded my tilapia with masa, added a seasoning blend for fish (sorry, my mother brings this for me in little baggies from a shop in the Old City, so I'm not sure what is in this!), a little garlic and salt and pepper, and pan-fried it in olive oil.  But you can prepare your fish any way that you enjoy. 

More recipes using tahini-lemon sauce to come . . .

Sahtain!

May this double your health. 



Shared at Real Food Wednesday , Party Wave Wednesday Simple Lives Thursday , Thank Your Body Thursday . Fresh Bites Friday , Tasty Traditions , Fight Back Friday .