This is a dish that is served cold and is especially good for a buffet party. It is beautiful and dramatic. Get a large white fish—sea bass would be great but is expensive; cod or haddock will do very well. (Although salmon is not a fish used in Lebanon, and not a fish of the Mediterranean regions, it is good to serve in this way.) Have the fish skinned and also filleted, if you like, and ask for the head and tail. Cooked in foil, the fish steams in its own juice and the flesh remains moist. The pine nut sauce, tarator bi senobar, has a very delicate flavor.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8
Ingredients
For the Pine nut sauce
Preparation
Step 1
Brush a large sheet of foil with a little of the olive oil. Place the fish in the middle, sprinkle lightly with salt and rub with the remaining oil. Sprinkle the cavity of the fish with a little salt and put in the lemon slices. Wrap in a loose parcel, twisting the foil edges together to seal it. Wrap the head and tail separately in another piece of foil.
Step 2
Bake the fish in an oven preheated to 400°F for 45 minutes, or until done. To test for doneness, cut into the thickest part and check that the flesh flakes and has turned white right through. The head and tail should come out of the oven after 20 minutes.
Step 3
For the sauce, cut away the crusts from the bread (it should now weigh about 3 ounces) and soak the slices in water. Blend the pine nuts to a paste in the food processor. Then add the bread, squeezed dry, lemon juice, and garlic and blend well. Add a little salt and about 3 to 4 tablespoons of cold water—just enough to blend to the consistency of thick cream.
Step 4
Serve the fish cold, covered with the sauce, and with the head and tail in place. Decorate with a pattern using pine nuts that have been fried gently in a drop of oil until slightly colored, or with parsley, and with lemon slices cut into half-moon shapes.
