Fresh from the Middle East – Dave and Mediterranean Sea Bass Over the Coals

Monahan's Seafood Market | Fresh Whole Fish, Fillets, Shellfish, Recipes, Catering & Lunch Counter-Ann Arbor, Michigan

dave cutting pita
I really didn’t mean to put our houseguest, Lisa’s brother Dave, to work. But I sure am glad I did!
Dave is visiting from Beirut, Lebanon where he is an Associate Professor of Arabic at the American University of Beirut.

Dave loves to cook. I remember being pretty impressed when I first met him back in the late 70’s in New Mexico. He was cooking Chinese food at home! Back in those days there was only one Chinese restaurant in Ann Arbor, Leo Pings, and La Choy was about the only fare to be found in most home kitchens. Dave’s lived in the Middle East for many years, first in Egypt and now on the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut.

If he could cook an authentic Beirut style fish dinner as well as the Chinese he served us I knew we were in for a great experience!

Of course he was happy to oblige, so we headed out to the Mediterranean Market on Stone School Rd. and Dave found just what he needed; sumac for his fatoush, bulgar wheat for tabbouleh, chickpeas for hummus and authentic pita bread.tabbouleh

Watching him purée the onions and garlic for the sea bass, I wondered how this juicy mixture was going to be a marinade and a stuffing. Won’t the stuffing fall out during grilling? I soon understood watching him squeeze the juices over the fish, then taking the firmer remaining mix and stuffing that inside. The stuffing remained perfectly intact and the dish was absolutely fantastic. The entire meal was amazing! Here’s the recipe.

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Monahan's Seafood

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