Tilapia Shawarma Pita Platter Recipe

Shawarma, a Middle Eastern counterpart to the Greek gyro, is a spicy and flavorful meal typically made from meat such as beef or chicken. Developer Patterson Watkins, however, noticed that many of the spices typically used to season shawarma are similar to those used with seafood. "You have the heady spices (cumin, coriander, cardamom, ginger), the sharp aromatics (garlic, onion), there's always some sort of heat/pepper element (paprika, cayenne, chili powder, chile flakes), the building blocks are very similar, which got me wondering if those similar seasoning profiles work well for seafood, could that then transfer to a fish-themed shawarma? And it worked! Really well!" She chose tilapia because, as she explains, it's not too fragile and its mild flavor plays nicely even with more intense spices.

Typical shawarma toppings such as pickled vegetables, cucumbers, and tomatoes also work perfectly with fish, as does the creamy, zingy, mildly spicy yogurt-based dressing made with fresh herbs, lemon, garlic, and jalapeño, which Patterson based on shawarma sauce. Even so, not everybody enjoys the same sandwich toppings, so for this reason, Watkins explains, "I thought it would be nice to serve this as a DIY meal, to let folks explore and fill their plates with the ingredients that appeal most to them, or go fully loaded, as is my favorite."

The shawarma-spiced tilapia is seasoned with olive oil, garlic cloves, cumin, salt, cardamom, and crushed red pepper, while the shawarma sauce is made with plain Greek yogurt, jalapeños, lemon juice, cilantro, and black pepper. To round out the pita platter, you'll also need pickled red onions, pickled radishes or turnips, cornichons, (unpickled) cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, lettuce, and, of course, pita bread.

To make the sauce, place the yogurt, garlic, jalapeño, lemon juice, and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor.

Blend until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spritz with cooking spray.

Pat the tilapia dry with paper towels.

Place the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, salt, cardamom, and chili flakes in a small bowl, and stir to combine.

Place the tilapia on the prepared baking sheet.

Drizzle the tilapia with the seasoned oil and place in the oven.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the fish filets are cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 2 minutes.

Place the cooked tilapia, shawarma sauce, pickled onion, pickled radish, cornichons, tomatoes, lettuce, and pita on a large serving platter and serve for a DIY shawarma experience.

Since shawarma is generally made from land-based protein sources, any one of these can easily be swapped in for the tilapia in this recipe, although you may, of course, need to adjust the cooking time depending on whether you go with beef, chicken, pork, or lamb. (This last meat, in particular, pairs wonderfully with Middle Eastern seasonings.) You could also use seitan, tofu, or a different plant-based meat substitute to make a vegan variation, replacing the yogurt in the sauce with a non-dairy version, as well.

Of course, you could also stay in the seafood family but use a different fish in place of tilapia. Salmon's bold flavor would stand up to this extra-flavorful spice blend, while tuna, swordfish, and catfish are also hearty enough to work well in this recipe. Shellfish would be another option, as you could also make the dish with shrimp or scallops, or even go super-deluxe and prepare crab or lobster shawarma.

Patterson tells us that she combined two condiments in making the dressing for this shawarma: a typical shawarma sauce and zhoug. "Shawarma sauce is typically a garlicky yogurt-based sauce blended with tahini for richness. And zhoug is a spicy cilantro condiment, also very garlicky, and similar in presentation to that of a pesto." Patterson thought that tahini might overpower the fish, which is why it's not used in this recipe, and she left out any dried spices since they're present in the tilapia seasoning. If you'll be making the shawarma with a different protein, you could certainly use a more typical shawarma sauce.

Zhoug is a Middle Eastern sauce made from chiles, garlic, cilantro, and parsley combined with lemon juice and seasonings such as cardamon, coriander, and cumin, and it could easily be a stand-alone addition to this recipe. (If you don't want to make your own, Trader Joe's sells the stuff.) Chermoula, a Moroccan marinade often used with fish, can also do double duty as a sauce for this shawarma. It's somewhat similar to zhoug in that it, too, is made with cilantro, garlic, and cumin, although instead of fresh chiles it may contain cayenne powder along with paprika and ginger. Even chimichurri, although it may hail from a different hemisphere, may also include garlic, parsley, and lemon juice, and would make an excellent addition to this pita platter