Smoked Cod Tajen With Clementine & Bronzed Onion Tahini. The tajen here is the name of the shallow pan used to traditionally prepare the dish. I like to use a shallow baking dish that I can transfer directly to the table to serve.
Serves 4
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
80 ml olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic head, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1⁄2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
1⁄2 tablespoon dried tarragon
250 ml tahini
juice of 1 grapefruit
juice of 1 lemon
1–2 clementines or 1 orange, peeled and roughly chopped
240 ml white wine
flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
750 g lightly smoked cod, haddock or halibut fillets
2 tablespoons flaked almonds, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
fresh tarragon or coriander, finely chopped, to serve
lemon wedges, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease an ovenproof dish with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
Place a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining oil and cook the onions for 4–5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic, spices and dried tarragon, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the tahini, grapefruit and lemon juices with about 250 ml water. You want the mixture to be a thick and pourable consistency, but not runny.
Once the onions have sweated down, add the clementines, increase the heat to high and let them brown along the edges for about a minute. Pour over the wine, and allow to simmer and evaporate for about 1–2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the tahini mixture and cook for a further 2–3 minutes until the mixture has thickened and looks like it will nicely enrobe the fish. Set aside.
Arrange the cod fillets in the greased dish and season with salt and pepper, then roast for 10–12 minutes or until cooked through and opaque.
Pour the warm tahini sauce over the fish and grill on high for another 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds, pine nuts and fresh tarragon or coriander. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.
This is an edited extract from The Jewelled Table by Bethany Kehdy, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $45.00, and is available where all good books are sold.
