Levantine cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Samak bi Dill wa Filfil

Fish fillets from Gaza, thickly coated with dill, garlic and red chili, baked at high heat in the oven.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g cod fillet
• 2 bunches dill
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 red chili peppers
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp cumin (ground)
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lemons
• 2 onions
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the cod fillet into four equal pieces, pat dry, salt and drizzle with the juice of half a lemon; chill for 15 min.
2. Roughly chop the dill, peel the garlic and deseed the chili peppers; blend all together with the chili flakes, cumin, 4 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt in a mortar or blender into a coarse, vividly green paste.
3. Slice the onions into thin rings, toss with the remaining olive oil in a baking dish and place the fish pieces on top.
4. Spread the dill paste thickly over the fillets so they are fully covered, and grind pepper over the top.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 220 °C for 16–18 min. until the paste smells deeply fragrant at the edges and the fish flakes easily with a fork.
6. Drizzle with the juice of half a lemon, add the remaining lemon in wedges and serve straight from the dish with flatbread.