Baked peppered Red Snapper ~ Sumki Har'rah

 

Recipe Categories : | Lebanese | Snapper | Seafood |

Serves : 4  Cooking time : 45 minutes Related recipe : Tahini Sauce

Ingredients :

  • 1 whole Red snapper, approx. 2-2.5kg
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
  • 1 large green pepper, finely chopped
  • ½ chili, finely chopped (optional)
  • ½ tspn freshly ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup walnut pieces, finely crushed
  • 1 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 cups Tahini sauce
  • 1 lemon, cut into thick slices for garnish

  Preparation and Cooking Instructions

  1. To prepare the fish : Clean and scale, leaving on the head but removing the eyes. Salt inside and out, then refrigerate for several hours. Allow it to return to room temperature before cooking.
  2. Pour ¼ cup of the oil into a shallow baking dish. Place the fish in the dish, pour another ¼ cup of oil over it and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  3. Gently heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy frying pan. Add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are soft and golden brown. Stir in the green pepper, chili, black pepper and walnuts and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peppers are soft. Turn off the heat and add ½ cup parsley.
  4. Without removing the fish from the baking dish, fill it with the walnut mixture. Close the opening with small skewers and crisscross kitchen string around them to secure.
  5. Bake the fish in the center of a moderate oven, 180°C, basting it every 15 minutes until cooked - approx. 40-50 minutes.
  6. Remove skewers and spread fish evenly with Tahini sauce. Sprinkle with the remainder of the parsley and garnish. Serve hot or cold.
  7. Variation : For Baked walnut fish (Sumki b'Jose) omit 1 of the onions, the chili and the Tahini sauce. You may also like to reduce the amount of black pepper and increase the walnuts.