The city of Tripoli/Mina in Lebanon is well known for their seafood. My favourite Lebanese seafood dish must have to be Samke Harra. Translated from Arabic سمك حار, it simply means spicy fish. A lightly lemon-marinated fish is baked, then covered with a citrus garlic Tahini based sauce. The result is decadent, yet simple, leaning strongly on the quality of the based ingredient – the fish.
The fish can be fillets or whole, the latter being better for a dinner party, to easily feed a large crowd with some ‘wow’ factor. The best fish that goes with this seem to be the Red Snapper type, white firm fish, not too oily.
As with many traditional dishes, there are MANY ways to do Samke Harra, and many restaurants put their special spin on it to claim their version to be the best. In fact one of my favourite restaurant does this with a battered fried fish fillet. Whilst very delicious, I feel takes away from the sweet flesh of fresh fish.
I am informed the version I make is common in Mina, the fishing port of Tripoli.
1.8kg fish
17 cloves garlic
1 cup tahini
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup pine nuts (1/2 for sauce and other for garnish)
1.5 cups lemon juice
1L water
1 tbsp salt (to taste)
6 tbsp ground coriander
Olive Oil
Italian parsley (for garnish)
150C 20-25mins
20mins cooking for sauce
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Dining and Cooking