If there’s one salad—or rather, sauce—that completes a fish meal in Jordan, it’s Tahini Salad.
I’ve always loved fish in all its forms—grilled, baked, but especially fried butterflied fish. At seafood restaurants in Jordan, ordering fried fish almost always means you’ll get tahini salad on the side. Unlike hummus, which is thick and creamy, tahini salad is thinner and more pourable—meant to be drizzled over fish and rice or scooped up with warm bread.
This simple mix of tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, cucumbers, and tomatoes is fresh, nutty, and tangy. It pairs beautifully with Sayadiyeh (Lebanese Fried Fish & Rice), but honestly—it works with any type of fish. Once you try it, you’ll never want fish night without it.
Tahini Salad Recipe
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- ½ cup tahini sesame paste
- ¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 –2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ cup water adjust for consistency
- ½ cup parsley finely chopped
- 1 large tomato finely diced
- 1 large cucumber finely diced
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt until paste-like and combined.
- Slowly add the water, whisking continuously, until the mixture becomes pourable and slightly runny (similar to a sauce, not thick like hummus).
- Stir in the chopped parsley, diced tomato, and cucumber.
- Taste and adjust lemon juice or salt if needed.
- Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to eat.
