There’s a bunch of reasons why I love this dish.
- Even if you’re not a “fish” person, if you like Middle Eastern flavors, you’ll love this anyway.
- It’s super yum IMO.
- It is the most economical way to serve salmon that I know. That’s because of two reasons. One, the salmon really stretches and you don’t need to buy a lot compared to what you’d typically need. Second, because you don’t need to buy the better types of salmon for it to be good. There’s so much flavor in this dish, that the least expensive types of salmon (i.e. Atlantic) totally work fine.
- We aren’t publishing a recipe for classic beef arayes because that’s already been around (Shifra Klein shared some BBQ-Flavored Arayes on BCP over here). However, if you do want to make amazing beef arayes, I’ll give you all the tips right here. One, use this recipe. Two, use a combination of ground lamb and/or beef/veal. Three, as far as quantity of meat, you’ll need 1 ½ lbs of ground meat for a double recipe that fills 6 mini pitas (12 halves). Four, as far as cooking method–in this recipe, I used a saute pan because I didn’t want to use my grill pan for fish. For the beef version, use your grill pan. Drizzle the Arayes generously with olive oil (this is what makes the difference between dry vs. amazing arayes). Heat pan and grill on both sides until you have nice grill marks. Then, transfer the pan to the oven for a few more minutes 5-8 more minutes (350⁰F is fine). You won’t be able to get them fully cooked on the inside without charring the bread if you keep them on the grill pan.
- There is one con to this recipe. It isn’t the healthiest way to serve salmon. There’s bread (although you can use whole wheat). And even though it’s not technically fried, there’s lots of olive oil and it gets crispy so it feels a bit fried. But if you love them, you can balance the meal with a nice fresh Israeli salad and it’s really complete.
Ok, we’re ready. Let’s make these Salmon Arayes now.
Combine all the ingredients, from the little itty bitty salmon cubes down through the spices.
Stuff them into pitas.
If you find these medium-sized pitas (mini but not super mini) great. Otherwise you can cut your regular sized pitas into quarters. Stuff them well!
Heat a sauté pan with olive oil. Once hot, add the arayes and fry until golden brown on each side. It will only take 1 or 2 minutes on the first side, and about 30 seconds on the second side.
Use tongs to move the pitas around so they cook evenly (since, once they’re stuffed, they’re rounded and won’t lay flat…you want to get the sides cooked as well).
Finally, turn them so that the exposed side is facing down to get the top layer of salmon cooked.
All done. Serve with techina and some fresh parsley.
Salmon Arayes
Ingredients
- ½ lb salmon, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3 cubes frozen parsley
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp cumin
- pinch cinnamon, optional
- pinch black pepper
- 3 mini pitas, halved or 2 full-sized pitas, quartered
- olive oil, for frying
- techina, for serving
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine salmon, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, salt, coriander, cumin, cinnamon (if using), and black pepper.
- Stuff salmon mixture into pitas, pressing down well.
- Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a sauté pan. Once hot, add pitas and cook for 1–2 minutes, until golden and crispy. Move the pitas around using tongs to brown the edges evenly (as the pitas are rounded once they are stuffed).
- Flip and cook on the second side about 30 seconds, until golden. Cook the edges where salmon is exposed for another 30–60 seconds. Serve with techina.
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