Za’atar salmon and tahini
• 1 large egg, well beaten
• 100g mixed black and white sesame seeds,
lightly toasted
• 2tbsp olive oil
• ½tbsp picked lemon thyme leaves, or regular
thyme leaves
For the syrup:
• 120g runny honey
• 1tsp ground black lime (optional)
• 3 lemons: 1 juiced to get 1tbsp and the other 2
left whole
METHOD
Line a shallow baking dish (or baking tray with a slight lip), about 30cm x 20cm in size, with baking parchment.
Pat dry the feta pieces, then dip each piece in the flour, gently shaking off the excess. Coat in the egg, followed by the sesame seeds, making sure the feta pieces are completely coated. Transfer each piece to your prepared dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or longer if time allows.
Preheat the oven to 220C fan. Drizzle the coated feta pieces with the oil and bake from cold, for 18 minutes, very gently flipping the pieces over halfway, or until they are golden and warmed through.
While the feta is baking, put the honey and black lime, if using, into a small saucepan on a medium-high heat. Once it starts to bubble, turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until it turns a deep amber caramel, about six to seven minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside to cool for five minutes.
Use a small, sharp knife to peel and segment the remaining two lemons and stir the segments into the cooled honey mixture.
When ready, pour the lemon syrup directly over the feta in the baking dish, sprinkle with the thyme and serve at once, straight from the dish.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
• 4 salmon fillets (600g), skin on and pin bones
removed
• 2tbsp za’atar
• 2tsp sumac, plus ½tsp extra for sprinkling
• 60ml olive oil
• 250g baby spinach
• 90g tahini
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3½tbsp lemon juice
• 1½tbsp roughly chopped Coriander leaves
• Salt and black pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 220C fan. Pat dry the salmon and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, combine the za’atar and sumac, then sprinkle this all over the top of the salmon to create a crust.
Place a large ovenproof sauté pan on a medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil.
Once hot, add the spinach and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook for two to three minutes, until just wilted.
Top with the salmon, skin side down, and drizzle the top of the fish with two tablespoons of oil. Bake for five minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the tahini, garlic, two-and-a-half tablespoons of lemon juice, a good pinch of salt and 100ml of water until the consistency is smooth and quite runny.
When ready, remove the pan from the oven and pour the tahini all around the salmon (but not on the fish at all). Bake for another five minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the tahini is bubbling.
Spoon over the remaining tablespoon each of lemon juice and oil and top with the coriander and extra sumac.
■ Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi, photography by Elena Heatherwick, is published by Ebury Press, priced £25.