Fink you've had the best Salmon of your life? Try this reseape...

Hello, methis (I promise I'm going to stop with the spawns)! Today, I want to describe for you the recipe for one of my favourite dishes EVER!

And I mean

Believe it or not, Iran is one of the best places for becoming a pescetarian (that's if you base your decisions to relocate on your eating habits)!

Being surrounded by the sea in the northern and the southern regions of the country, the locals have come up with seafood recipes that contain a melange of delicious herbs, vegetables and spices.

Fishing in the Caspian Sea provides an inexhaustible source of sturgeon, salmon, and other species of fish, some of which spawn in the chilly streams that flow into this sea from the high Alborz Mountains. Seabass is the most widely used species of fish, consumed whilst celebrating the most important events of the year (New year also known as Norooz).

My source of inspiration for this fusion dish comes from my memories of the local seafood I would try when travelling to the south of Iran as a child. To adapt this to the modern pallet, I have indeed given the traditional Ghalieh Mahi dish a twist (the biggest difference being, it is normally made with narrow-barred Mackerel and not Salmon and doesn't traditionally contain paprika or chilli in the marinade and it is normally served with rice whereas I serve it with a few smaller sides and crispy potatoes - see the picture above for some inspiration).

Below is my recipe to guide you in making and enjoying it:

Ingredients (for feeding up to 6 people)

1. Finely chopped cloves of garlic (12 cloves)
2. Finely chopped onion
3. Finely chopped Methi (70 g)
4. Finely chopped Coriander (500 g)
5. Whole Salmon (800 g)
6. Tamarind paste (250 g)
7. Cooking oil
8. Salt, pepper, paprika, chilli, turmeric (as needed)

Now follow in my footsteps:

Making the tamarind paste (if making from scratch - there are readily available brands that are more sweet than sour):

• Mix the tamarind fruit (400 g) with 3 cups of water and pass through a sieve until the puree remains
• Be sure to remove the pits
• Add 1-2 tbsp of lime juice and add enough vinegar to make it sour
• Add 1 tbsp of sugar
• Add 1 tsp of salt
• The paste should taste more sour than sweet at this point
• Bring this to a boil in a pan and on medium heat keep whisking until the puree has turned into a sauce
• Leave to rest until the fish is ready to be marinated (see below)

Making the fish:

• Use half of the chopped garlic along with salt, pepper, turmeric, paprika, chilli and lime juice) to marinate the salmon for up to 2 hours before starting cooking
• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (celsius)  
• Place the salmon in an oven tray covered with foil (sprinkle some oil on the foil first) and place in the oven to cook for 30-45 minutes
• Cook under low-medium heat one finely chopped onion with half of the chopped garlic  cloves in preheated oil until golden
• Once golden, take the onions and garlic off the pan and rest aside
• Sauté the finely chopped herbs until they appear dark
• Add the tamarind sauce to the herbs and whisk on low-medium heat until its water content is reduced whilst adding the previously cooked onions and garlic to the combination
• Once the salmon has finished cooking in the oven, take it out and pour the tamarind sauce combination onto it

Decorate as you wish with vegetables, lentils or potatoes as side dishes!

It is now ready to be served! Bon Appétit!