The most popular item on the menu in the fish restaurants along the long Lebanese coast are the deep-fried red mullet that come accompanied by a tahini sauce and very thin crisp deep-fried bread. They are fried whole, coated with flour, but at home I find it easier to pan-fry red mullet fillets.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　

For the Tahini Sauce

1/3 cup tahini

　　Juice of 1 lemon

　　About 1/3 cup cold water

　　Salt

　　1/2 to 1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)

　　8 red mullet fillets (weighing about 3 ounces each), skin on

　　Salt and black pepper

　　2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　1 lemon, cut in wedges

　　

Step 1

First, make the sauce. Stir the tahini in the jar before using. With a fork, beat the tahini with the lemon juice. It will thicken to a stiff paste. Add the water, beating vigorously until you get the consistency of a pale, runny cream. Then add a little salt and the garlic, if using, and pour into a serving bowl.

　　

Step 2

Season the red mullet fillets with salt and pepper and fry in the oil over medium-high heat, preferably in a nonstick frying pan, for about 2 minutes on the skin side. Turn and cook the other side for half a minute more.

　　

Step 3

Serve the fish at once, with the lemon wedges, and let people pour the tahini sauce on the side.

　　

variation

Step 4

Season 4 fish fillets (5 to 7 ounces each), such as cod or haddock, with salt and white pepper and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin. Dip the fillets in flour to coat them all over, and shallow-fry in sizzling olive oil, turning over once. Drain on paper towels and serve with the tahini sauce.

　　Arabesque