Tarator (Turkish Walnut and Bread Sauce)
Prep 10 min Total 45 min
Tarator (Turkish Walnut and Bread Sauce) - kvalifood.com
A cold sauce of pounded walnuts, stale bread, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. The traditional dipping sauce for fried calamari and mussels in Turkey. The texture should have some walnut graininess – not completely smooth.
Makes ca. 350 ml (6 servings)
Ingredients
- 100 g walnuts, shelled
- 50 g stale white bread, crusts removed, torn into pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100-120 ml water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
- Aleppo pepper (or paprika), for serving (optional)
Directions
Tear the stale bread into small pieces and soak in the water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out most of the liquid, reserving the soaking water.
Combine walnuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground but not yet a paste.
Add the squeezed bread and lemon juice. Process until a thick paste forms. With the processor running on low, drizzle in the olive oil. Add reserved soaking water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches a thick but spoonable consistency.
Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Taste and adjust before serving. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of Aleppo pepper.
Notes
Day-old sourdough or country bread works well. Avoid soft sandwich bread.
For the yogurt variant (kalamar sosu): reduce walnuts to 30 g, add 120 g strained yogurt, and optionally 1 tbsp mayonnaise.
Keeps refrigerated for 2 days. May darken slightly – this is normal.
Classic pairings: fried calamari, fried mussels (midye tava), grilled fish, beets, and cauliflower.
See Also
Iskender Sosu (Turkish Tomato-Butter Sauce)
Muhammara (Turkish Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)
Cacik (Turkish Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce)
Domates Soslu (Turkish Tomato Sauce)
