For the Green Tahini Sauce:
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh mint
¼ cup tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
For the Middle Eastern Fish Cakes:
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley
1 tablespoon roughly chopped mint
3 cloves garlic
1 pound Alaska flounder or sole filets, patted dry
1 tablespoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Green Tahini Sauce:
1. Put the parsley, cilantro, and mint in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add the tahini, lemon juice, salt, and 1 tablespoon water until smooth.
3. Continue blending, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached (it should be thin enough to drizzle but not watery).
4. Set aside (can be made up to a few days ahead of time and refrigerated, but will thicken so bring to room temperature and stir in a little more water as needed before serving).
For the Middle Eastern Fish Cakes:
1. Rinse out the food processor. Add the cilantro, parsley, mint, and garlic and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add the flounder/sole, lemon zest, cumin, and salt and pulse until roughly chopped and combined (you want it to be well mixed but not a smooth paste).
3. Form into 1½-inch patties.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the patties, working in batches if necessary, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until lightly browned and cooked through.
5. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate as they finish cooking.
6. Serve the fish cakes as a starter with the green tahini sauce drizzled over or on the side for dipping. To make it a full meal, serve with a grain like barley or freekah and a simple salad of chopped tomato and cucumber.
