Middle Eastern Mezze NightShare. Tear. Scoop. Repeat.
A generous spread of Turkish, Lebanese, and Mediterranean dishes designed for sharing. Everything cooks ahead so you can set the table and let guests graze at their own pace.
Why Sous Vide Your Mezze Night?
Sharing Plates, Perfected
Mezze is about variety and abundance. Sous vide lets you prep 6-8 dishes in advance so they all arrive at the table at peak quality simultaneously.
Kebabs Without the Guesswork
Kafta, Adana, and seekh kebabs are notoriously hard to cook evenly on a grill. Sous vide sets the interior first so the grill is purely for char.
The Perfect Egg
Turkish cilbir relies on a 63C egg with a custardy yolk. No other cooking method gives you that texture with zero monitoring.
Everything Makes Ahead
Shawarma, lamb, and salmon all cook ahead. On mezze night, just sear, plate, and set out the spreads.
🍖 Mains & Kebabs
Lebanese Chicken Shawarma Plate
Warm-spiced chicken sliced thin and seared for crispy edges, with garlic toum and pickled turnips.
Cook in the bath, slice and sear right before serving.
Za'atar Lamb Chops with Labneh
Za'atar-crusted chops seared hot, served over labneh with pomegranate and pine nuts.
Start the bath 3 hours before dinner. Sear and crust right before plating.
Lebanese Kafta Kebab
Spiced lamb patties with parsley and seven-spice, grilled for charcoal edges.
Shape and bag morning of. Grill right before serving.
Turkish Adana Kebab Lamb
Aleppo pepper and sumac lamb shoulder, sliced thick and grilled for authentic kebab char.
Cook 2 days ahead. Slice and grill day of.
🐟 Fish & Eggs
Sumac-Tahini Glazed Salmon
Buttery salmon with sumac-sesame crust and silky tahini sauce.
Cook and sear right before serving. Salmon does not hold well.
Turkish Cilbir (Poached Eggs on Yogurt)
63C eggs on garlic yogurt with Aleppo pepper butter and dill.
Start eggs 80 min before serving. Prep yogurt base while they cook.
🫒 Spreads & Sides
Iskender Kebab (Doner-Style Beef)
Thin-sliced sirloin layered over pita with tomato-butter sauce and yogurt.
Cook, slice, and assemble right before serving.
Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Lamb with preserved lemon, olives, and saffron over couscous.
Cook 2 days ahead. Reheat and serve over fresh couscous.
Mezze Night Timeline
2-3 Days Before
- Start Adana kebab lamb shoulder (142°F, 24 hours)
- Start Moroccan lamb tagine (132°F, 8 hours)
- Make labneh by straining yogurt overnight
- Pickle turnips for shawarma
Day Before
- Ice-bath and refrigerate lamb shoulder and tagine
- Make toum (garlic sauce)
- Make tahini sauce for salmon
- Prep za'atar-olive oil paste for lamb chops
- Shape kafta patties and refrigerate
Mezze Night
- Start shawarma chicken (142°F, 90 min) and lamb chops (132°F, 2 hours)
- Start cilbir eggs (146°F, 70 min)
- Start salmon (120°F, 1 hour)
- Grill Adana slices and kafta patties
- Sear shawarma chicken and za'atar chops
- Reheat tagine, assemble Iskender
- Spread everything on the table with warm pita, pickles, and olives
🫓Mezze Night Pro Tips
- •Set everything out at once and let guests graze - mezze is not a coursed dinner
- •Warm pita on a dry skillet or over a gas flame right before serving
- •Make toum, tahini, and labneh the day before so flavors develop
- •Put sumac, za'atar, and good olive oil on the table as condiments
- •End with Turkish coffee or mint tea - both are traditional closers
Ready to Plan Your Mezze Night?
Browse our full Middle Eastern recipe collection for more sous vide dishes.
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