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Main course Fish & Seafood

Food Flavour DNA

Nutritional Values

🔥590kcal
💪43gProtein
🌾14gCarbs
🥑40gFat
🌿4gFibre
⚖️350 gServing

* Per serving · 350 g. May vary.

Allergens

🐟 Fish 🌱 Sesame 🥜 Nuts

Samke Harra

How to order / say it
Say it سمكة حرة طرابلسية — [SAHM-keh HAH-reh]
Order I’d like Tripoli-style spicy fish, please.
Locally أريد سمكة حرة طرابلسية، من فضلك.
Say locally

Roasted fish topped with a hot tahini, walnut, garlic, and herb sauce.

Why try it?

Samke harra is one of Tripoli’s clearest expressions of its Mediterranean port identity. It turns fresh coastal fish into a richly spiced communal dish, balancing Levantine tahini with Tripolitan heat.

How it tastes

The fish is tender and moist beneath a creamy, nutty sauce scented with garlic, cilantro, and lemon. It is usually served warm with bread, rice, or salad.

Origin & History — first documented: 1850

The dish developed in the kitchens of Tripoli’s old maritime quarters during the late Ottoman period, especially in the nineteenth century. Local cooks adapted Levantine tahini sauces to the day’s catch from the Mediterranean. It became a signature dish in Tripoli seafood restaurants and family celebrations during the twentieth century.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 🐟 600 g whole white fish fillets
  • 🥣 100 g tahini
  • 🥜 60 g walnuts
  • 🧄 4 cloves garlic
  • 🌿 30 g fresh cilantro
  • 🍋 60 ml lemon juice
  • 🫒 45 ml olive oil
  • 🧂 1 large red chili
  • 🧂 6 g salt

Method

  1. 1 Season the fish with salt and roast it at 200°C until just cooked.
  2. 2 Crush the garlic, walnuts, chili, and cilantro into a coarse paste.
  3. 3 Whisk tahini with lemon juice and a little water, then fold in the paste.
  4. 4 Spoon the sauce over the hot fish and finish with olive oil and cilantro.

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All Asia recipes — Lebanon — Tripoli — Samke Harra
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