Agristada, a velvety lemon and egg sauce, is one of the most loved sauces in Sephardic* cuisine, and one of my personal favorites. The sauce can be served warm or cold, and it is traditionally paired with fried fish, though also served with cooked fish, meatballs or steamed vegetables, especially with artichoke.
The consistency of the sauce is pretty similar to that of mayonnaise, but it is much lighter, as it contains only a small amount of oil. The sauce is also perfect for those with lactose intolerance, as it doesn’t contain any dairy ingredients.
Some versions for the sauce start with a mixture of oil and flour (roux), for easier preparation. However, I still prefer the flavor and texture of the version I have here, even though it has a bit more risk of curdling.
Traditionally, a small amount of the strained oil in which the fish was fried in, is added to the prepared sauce. I’m aware of it that this addition sounds a bit weird, but apparently there is a valid reason for this practice, as the oil adds a very unique nutty flavor to the sauce.
I’m sure you’ll think the same once you’ll try it.
* For more information about Sephardic origins and cuisine, see the introduction for THIS POST.
Check HERE for more recipes from the Sephardic cuisine.
A few more notes:
* I’ve used Tilapia fish fillets, but any other fried fish you prefer can be used instead.
* I like the sauce very lemony, if you prefer it to be a bit milder, reduce the amount of lemon juice to ¼ cup.
* If despite of all your efforts the sauce still curdled, don’t despair: strain it through a fine sieve and most likely you’ll be able to save it.
* The sauce can keep, in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to two days.
Makes: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes for the fish, 15 minutes for the sauce
Ingredients:
For the fried fish:
4 skinless, boneless, Tilapia fillets, cut in half lengthwise
1 L egg
2 Tbs water
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup flour
Oil for frying
For the Agristada Sauce:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups water
1 Tbs Kosher salt
1 L egg
1 Tbs water
¼ cup flour
For serving: lemon wedges, chopped parsley
1. The fried fish: wash and pat dry the fish pieces with paper towels. Whisk the egg with the water, salt and pepper. Add the flour and whisk to a smooth batter. Place the fish pieces in it and roll in the batter, to cover from all sides.
2. Preheat oil for shallow frying in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the fish pieces and fry until golden-brown on both sides. Keep in a warm place until serving. Once the oil in the pan cools a bit, strain it through a fine sieve. Keep on the side, for the sauce.
3. The sauce: in a medium size pot, mix the lemon juice, water and salt. Place over medium heat and bring to the boil.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the egg with the water, then add the flour. Whisk vigorously, until you get a lump-free paste.
5. Take the pot with the hot lemon water off the heat. Add 1/8 of a cup of the hot lemon water to the egg paste, whisking vigorously, to make sure the egg doesn’t curdle. Add another 1/8 cup and keep on whisking. Now add the egg mixture into the pot, whisking constantly. Place the pot back on medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Make sure not to let the sauce boil.
6. Transfer the sauce into a bowl and let it cool a bit. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the strained oil on top, mix gently and keep in a warm place until serving.
A gorgeous dish, Ronit! I’ve been thinking these days to buy some fish, l’ll give your recipe a try.
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Thank you Daniela. I’m glad you liked the recipe. It’s one of my all-time favorites.
I hope you’ll enjoy it. I will be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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The Agristada sauce sounds really good. I looking forward to trying it with artichoke.
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Thank you Greg!
It is a wonderful sauce and it goes really well with artichokes, and other vegetables. I’m hope you’ll enjoy it. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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Beautiful photo and interesting sauce! Never heard of that sauce but it sounds fantastic!
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Thank you Natascha!
It is an old recipe, but always works. One of my favorites. 🙂
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Also served with meatballs/albondigas. And when it was healthy, with brains!!
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Thank you Jack for your comment.
Yes, I’ve mentioned that the sauce is also served with meatballs, and also with vegetables like artichokes.
I love brains – healthy or not, if I could get them, I’d definitely have them…
I understand you also come from Sephardic family? I hope this recipe brought back nice memories. 🙂
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I am Sephardic, born in Turkey, It did bring back memories,,,My mother, z’l” used to cook the various agristada recipes, in addition to the well established other Sephardic (also Ottoman) recipes which I now started to cook: the stuffed vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis); almodrotes (kalavasaz/zucchinis and berenjenas/eggplants); and now that Pesah is almost upon us Keftes de Prasas (leek patties), etc.
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How interesting! On my mother’s side we are a mix of Italian from Livorno and Turkish from Izmir, so I’m quite familiar with Ottoman dishes as well.
I don’t keep Kosher, but I do love all these foods! I am trying to measure and write down the recipes in a more organized way (my aunts and mother would give instructions like “as much flour as needed!” 🙂 – and hope to keep this wonderful heritage alive, at least through food…
You can look under the following link, for more of the Sephardic recipes I have on this blog. I hope you’ll enjoy them. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/?s=sephardic
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This looks like a dish that I’d really enjoy. The fish and lemon sauce sound like a perfect combination.
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Thank you Sheryl! It’s one of my favorite ways to serve fried fish.
It’s also a very old recipe. In most Sephardic households it is cooked without measuring, just like a lot of the recipes you find in the old magazines. 🙂
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Yum! Great pictures!🌿
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Thank you Carol! I’m glad you liked them. 🙂
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I mostly cook fish in Indian spices. This recipe seems quite nice . Motivated to try !
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Sephardic dishes are almost the opposite of Indian dishes when it comes to the use of spices. They usually use fresh herbs and very few basic spices. The idea is to put an emphasis on the flavor of the main ingredient.
I like both ways and I’m glad we live in a world where we can cook such a variety of dishes and be exposed to different traditions through it. 🙂
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It’s just amazing to find how different cuisines bring out different and unique taste of the same main ingredients ! Love it!
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Couldn’t agree more! 🙂
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This is fascinating! Thank you for sharing and informing!
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Thank you Mimi! I’m glad you’ve found this interesting. These old recipes are such a treasure. It’s my pleasure to share. 🙂
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Looks so yummy and delicious…
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Thank you Swapna. It is a wonderful sauce for anyone who loves lemons. 🙂
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Thanks Ronit
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Such a lovely recipe Ronit. My husband and I love fried fish. I specially like that you shallow fried then deep fried for some reason I am more comfortable with this technique 🙂
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Thank you Nandini! I’m glad you liked the recipe. It’s one of my favorites.
I’m actually more comfortable with shallow frying – guess it’s all about what we’re more used to. As long as it’s tasty, the method is less important! 🙂
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A lighter version of mayonnaise is very intriguing. Not to mention this just all looks delicious!
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Thank you Mary. I’m glad you liked the recipe. It is quite delicious and indeed much lighter than mayonnaise or cream sauces. 🙂
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Sure looks delicious – I would not mind having this for lunch today.The sauce is a great finishing touch 🙂
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Thank you Judi, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The dish is indeed perfect for lunch or brunch. The finishing touch really adds a lot, as weird as it is… 🙂
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Perfectly fried fish and such a delicious sauce! This is wonderful Ronit!
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Thank you Antonia! I’m glad you liked the recipe, which is one of my favorites. The sauce has some similarities to the Greek Avgolemono soup, which I also love. 🙂
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Very true and lemon and egg are just wonderful together! I bet it just amazing with that fried fish.
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Chef Ronit,
This is a beautifully presented dish. Lovely fish, beautiful sauce and a nice amount of green to set off the picture and taste. Lovely.
Best,
Conor
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Thank you Conor, for such a nice compliment! This dish is one of my favorites, and carries so much history and memories. 🙂
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I have been meaning to post a fish recipe for years, but never has gotten round to it.This looks easy and tasty. I have bookmarked…
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Thank you Liz, I’m glad to know. It’s one of my favorite dishes and I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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Looks great! I will have to try it out!
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Thank you Kendall! I hope you’ll enjoy the dish. 🙂
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Welcome! I’m sure I will!
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This looks lovely!
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Thank you Lyn! 🙂
It’s an old family recipe and one of my favorites. 🙂
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It looks wonderful!
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Thank you! 🙂
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🙂
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This look stunning and I loved reading about the origins and history of Sephardic, so great to learn something new 🙂
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Thank you Petra! I’m very glad you’ve found the recipe and Sephardic origins interesting.
It’s a wonderful simple dish, and one of my favorites and I’m happy to share it. 🙂
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Oh loving this recipe, love fried fish and the technique you’ve used. I could absolutely live on fish, so definitely will be trying this out 🙂
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Thank you Loretta, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I hope you’ll try and enjoy the dish. It’s one of my favorites. 🙂
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I’m not mush of a seafood eater, but I can have this fried fish with this lemon and egg sauce!
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Thank you Fea! I’m not that much of a fish fan myself, but this dish is definitely one of my favorites. I’m glad you liked it too. 🙂
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Even a humble, near flavorless, fish must absolutely shine with this sauce, Ronit. It sounds fabulous and your presentation is lovely!
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Thank you Nancy! You are so right, this sauce can elevate any fish. It is also wonderful with meatballs or steamed vegetables. 🙂
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Yum… especially on the steamed vegetables! Thanks for the idea!
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My pleasure! 🙂
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I would love to try this wonderful fish and lemon sauce 😋
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Thank you Frances!I’m glad you liked the recipe.
I hope you’ll enjoy the dish. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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This is beautiful Ronit, you know I am so upset. I see that I follow your blog but have no recollection of ever seeing a notification come into my inbox, I am going to check to see that I have notifications on. I am blown away by your beautiful recipes and humbly apologize for just now seeing your posts.
That said this dish is screaming at me, I have to make it. I love the Agristada. Just beautiful. Your blog is just gorgeous.
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Thank you Suzanne, I’m glad you like this family treasure! 🙂
It happens sometimes to me too, when all of a sudden I notice that I’m missing posts from some blogs I follow. It’s very frustrating!
You’re always welcome and I highly appreciate your comments. 🙂
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That sauce sounds great.
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I am reminding myself to make it for Shabbat – Agristada sounds fabulous!
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Thank you Dolly, I’m glad you like the recipe.
I love it and make it often. I hope you’ll enjoy it too. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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Thank you so much for pointing me in this direction. Your beautiful recipe is going to be a part of our Friday Supper. It looks so delicious.
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Thanks for checking it out. I’m glad you’ve found the recipe interesting. I hope you’ll enjoy this tasty dish. 🙂
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