Za'atar Fish with Pinenut Dressing and Hummus
Photography Photography by Aaron McLean.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
6 x 180 gram fillets of firm white fish
1⁄2 cup za’atar
Hummus
200 grams chickpeas
2 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 bay leaf
juice of 2-3 lemons plus zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tablespoons tahini
Dressing
1 cup pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped 1⁄2 red onion, finely chopped
1 mild red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons lemon juice plus zest of 1 lemon
METHOD
Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water with the baking soda. Next day, drain, thoroughly rinse and place in a large pot with the whole garlic and bay leaf. Cover with cold water to 6cm above the chickpeas.
Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for approx. 1 1⁄2 hours or until the chickpeas are falling apart and most of the water has evaporated. Remove the bay leaf and put the chickpeas in a food processor with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Season to taste and add more lemon juice if needed.
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl, season to taste.
Preheat the oven to 200oC
Heat a sauté pan with a little oil until hot. Brush the fish with the oil then sprinkle with za’atar. Quickly brown the fish on one side then turn over.
Place the fish in the oven and roast until just cooked through. To serve: Divide the hummus between 6 serving plates. Place a fillet of fish on top and spoon over the dressing. Serves 6
Za’atar: an Arabic spice mix made from thyme, sumac, salt and sesame seeds
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.