Tarator: Turkish walnut, garlic, and olive oil sauce
Tarator is a classic Turkish sauce made with walnuts, garlic, and olive oil pureed or pounded together to form a smooth emulsion. Tarator in Lebanon and Syria includes tahini. Tarator is usually served with mussels, fried fish, and vegetables. Find the recipe and printable recipe PDF below!
Yield: 6 servings
Method
Place hazelnuts and garlic in the container of a food processor and pulse quickly to crush the nuts. Add tahini, lemon juice and water. Puree quickly but do not over process. Turn on the food processor and slowly add in the extra-virgin olive oil to emulsify.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, beat in a little more water. This tarator sauce can be made ahead of time but will thicken considerably while standing. Just thin with water as needed for a smooth spreadable puree.
Note: Walnuts may be used in place of hazelnuts but the puree will become a weird purple color if it sits too long. Toasted pistachios or pinenuts, or a combination of nuts can also be used.
This sauce is wonderful for deep fried mussels and other small fish. It also goes well with cooked cauliflower, green beans, beets and carrots.
Adapted from: © Joyce Goldstein
Ingredients
1 cup Hazelnuts, toasted, peeled
1-2 ea. Garlic cloves, finely minced
½ cup Tahini
¼ cup Lemon juice
½ - ¼ cup Water
¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Ground black pepper
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service,
thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
