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RECIPE

Fish fritters with sumac and lemon tahini dipping sauce

These are fantastic to make ahead – eat them at room temperature stuffed into a pita with salad for a quick lunch or reheat and have as a starter at a dinner party.

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CHERISH by Anne Shooter, published by Headline Home 2018.

  • place SERVES 4
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Sumac – from a Middle Eastern berry – adds a citrusy brightness and is available in the spice sections of all big supermarkets, as well as from Mediterranean or Middle Eastern grocery shops.

Extracted from Cherish (Headline) £28

  • For the fritters, you can mix the ingredients by hand if you chop everything as finely as you can, but a food processor makes it much easier.
  • First, put the onion, chilli, garlic and egg in the bowl of the food processor and pulse to a coarse purée. Add the fish, salt, a few turns of black pepper, the sumac and matzah meal or breadcrumbs and pulse again four or five times until you have a textured mix – you don’t want it too smooth, just make sure that everything is blended and the fish is broken down.
  • Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so until it has firmed up.
  • Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. Whisk all the ingredients together by hand or using a stick blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning and transfer to a small bowl.
  • Using damp hands, shape the chilled fish mixture into around 12 walnut-sized balls and flatten them slightly into patties.
  • Coat each one with the extra matzah meal or breadcrumbs and set aside while you heat the oil.
  • Pour the oil into a frying pan so that it is about 1cm deep and place over a medium-high heat until it is shimmering but not smoking. Fry the fritters in batches for about 3 minuteson each side, or until a deep golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with more sumac.
  • Serve the fritters with the dipping sauce on the side or drizzled over the top.
Makes about 12 fritters
Ingredients

 

For the fritters

1 red onion, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped (deseed if you prefer less heat)

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 egg

600g skinless white fish fillet (e.g. cod, haddock, hake), roughly chopped into chunks

1 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp sumac, plus extra to garnish

3 tbsp medium matzah meal or dried breadcrumbs, plus extra for coating sunflower oil (or other flavourless oil), for frying

 

For the tahini dipping sauce

5 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp olive oil

½ garlic clove, crushed

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tbsp cold water

A splash of hot sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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