A great recipe guest post by Nina Greene from KoshCravings check out the recipe below and more information about her.
I had quite a kitchen adventure this past week. It all started when my repeated attempts at buying a case of kosher salmon fillets from Restaurant Depot met with failure. Every time I called the seafood department the answer was the same. “We don’t know when we’re going to get kosher salmon fillets. Try again tomorrow.” In the end, I realized I was running out of time. My frozen salmon stock pile was running dangerously low, especially in light of the fact that my in-laws are coming for a visit and my big kids are returning from sleep away camp. I was determined to have a fully stocked pantry, freezer, and refrigerator before the hordes of family descended.
The gentleman who works in the seafood department at Restaurant Depot did tell me they had whole kosher salmon if I was interested. A neighbor of mine once told me that filleting salmon is really not that difficult and I should try it sometime. Well, sometime came, and I beg to differ on that assessment. After watching a couple YouTube videos and failing after the very first step of trimming off the dorsal fin, I realized I was in way over my head.
I called a friend who I knew had some experience with this. She informed me that it was really her husband who was the knowledgeable one (and of course he was out of town ) but that she was happy to bring over her special fish fillet knife and give it a try as long as I would feed her kids supper while she went at it. This sounded like a wonderful idea to me! And truly, I was so grateful because I had four whole Salmon sitting on ice on my kitchen counter. Those fish were staring at me like they could swallow me whole.
Even with the right equipment I wouldn’t call it easy, but my friend is both talented and tenacious so it worked. I restocked my freezer but kept one beautiful salmon fillet to use for a special dish for Shabbos. And being half Persian myself, I love, love, love Persian food. I grew up on plenty of it, eating out at delicious Persian restaurants in Los Angeles. We didn’t typically order salmon, but I wanted to use some of the flavors that I so love to complement the fish I wanted to make.
Persians love sour foods and this recipe embraces that tradition. The brightness of the tamarind and lime juice creates layers of rich complexity against the caramelized onions, fresh herbs, ground almonds, and dried cranberries. I could have eaten the entire pan of tamarind cranberry sauce (although much thicker than a typical sauce) by itself. With the salmon, it was simply heavenly.
Ingredients
- 1Large salmon filletEnough for 6-8 portions
- 1Red onion, sliced thin
- 3-4TablespoonsOlive oil
- 1CupDried cranberries
- 4-5TablespoonsTamarind concentrateUse 3 tablespoons Tamarind if using Paste as it will need to be softened and diluted in warm water
- 3ClovesGarlic, mincedI used the frozen cube kind
- 1/2CupGround almonds
- 1Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1CupFresh minced herbs such as parsley, cilantro, mintYou can substitute frozen cubes in a pinch
- Sea saltTo taste
- Fresh ground pepperTo taste
- Lime or lemon wedges
Instructions
- Wash salmon in cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and rub one tablespoon of oil into fillet. Place in refrigerator.
2. In a large frying pan add 2-3 tablespoons oil. Sauté onions on medium low heat until they begin to carmelize (about 15 minutes).
3. While onion is caramelizing assemble remaining ingredients.
4. Add garlic, tamarind, dried cranberries, ground almonds, lime juice, salt, pepper, and fresh/frozen herbs. Turn heat to low. Stir often, allowing flavors to blend for 3-4 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Remove salmon from refrigerator. Top salmon with tamarind mixture and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes. Serve with lemon or lime wedges and enjoy!
- 1 Large salmon fillet Enough for 6-8 portions
- 1 Red onion, sliced thin
- 3-4 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 Cup Dried cranberries
- 4-5 Tablespoons Tamarind concentrate Use 3 tablespoons Tamarind if using Paste as it will need to be softened and diluted in warm water
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced I used the frozen cube kind
- 1/2 Cup Ground almonds
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 Cup Fresh minced herbs such as parsley, cilantro, mint You can substitute frozen cubes in a pinch
- Sea salt To taste
- Fresh ground pepper To taste
- Lime or lemon wedges
- Wash salmon in cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and rub one tablespoon of oil into fillet. Place in refrigerator.
- In a large frying pan add 2-3 tablespoons oil. Sauté onions on medium low heat until they begin to carmelize (about 15 minutes).
- While onion is caramelizing assemble remaining ingredients..
- Add garlic, tamarind, dried cranberries, ground almonds, lime juice, salt, pepper, and fresh/frozen herbs. Turn heat to low. Stir often, allowing flavors to blend for 3-4 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove salmon from refrigerator. Top salmon with tamarind mixture and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes.
- Serve with lemon or lime wedges and enjoy!
