Smoked Cod Tajen With Clementine & Bronzed Onion Tahini

By Bethany Kehdy

Smoked Cod Tajen With Clementine & Bronzed Onion Tahini

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

12 tablespoon ground black pepper

12 teaspoon white pepper

12 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 45 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic, spices and dried tarragon, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for a further 23 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 12 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the tahini mixture and cook for a further 23 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 1012 minutes or until cooked through and opaque.

Pour the warm tahini sauce over the fish and grill on high for another 23 minutes. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds, pine nuts and fresh tarragon or coriander. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

 

Photographer: Nassima Rothacker

 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.

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