Levantine cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Samak bi Jawz

Fish fillet baked crisp under a crust of chopped walnuts, garlic and cilantro.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g cod fillet
• 150 g walnuts
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 slices of toast bread
• 2 lemons
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin (ground)
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the fillet into four pieces, pat dry, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the juice of half a lemon; let sit for 15 min.
2. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 min. until fragrant, let cool and roughly chop.
3. Finely grate the crustless toast bread and mix with the walnuts, the finely grated garlic, the chopped cilantro, cumin, chili flakes and 3 tbsp olive oil into a crumbly mixture.
4. Place the fish in a greased baking dish and firmly press on the walnut mixture so each piece is completely covered.
5. Bake in the oven preheated to 200 °C for 16–18 min. until the crust is deep golden brown; if it browns too fast, cover the dish loosely with foil.
6. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, season with the juice of the second lemon and serve hot with lemon wedges.