Persian Fragranced Salmon
One of my favourite cookery books I own is Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour. Her simple, fragranced, Persian inspired book full of contemporary recipes make it my ‘go to’ book whenever I’m stuck for flavour combinations or just pictures to inspire some creativity.
I’ve picked up a lot of tricks and tips from her books which have lead to a store cupboard full of middle-eastern spices which I can use on their own or mixed together to create stunning combinations and flavours that explode on your tastebuds… this is absolutely one of those! Middle-eastern cuisine has had a bit of an insurgence over the last few years in the UK and I for one am so pleased it has. I’d go as far to say it’s now one of my favourite styles to cook because if its simple nature but overpowering flavour complexities. I’m feeling hungry just thinking about it!
So, if you’re interested in making the Persian fragranced salmon, all you’ll need are a few ingredients readily available at your local supermarket.
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 2 x salmon fillets
- 1 preserved lemon, quartered
- handful fresh coriander
- 2 tsp sumac
- olive oil
Method
To make the Persian fragranced salmon, grab a baking tray and place your salmon fillets skin side down on the tray. Sprinkle your 2 tsp of sumac over each fillet, roughly chop the coriander to release all the flavour and sprinkle over, and place your quartered preserved lemons on top. Drizzle with olive oil.
Place in an oven on 180oC and cook for 10-15 minutes depending on your fillet size. I used 250g fillets and they took around 15 minutes to look like the above.
When you open that oven and smell the strong lemon scent, your mouth will start watering! I served this meal with sweet potatoes and boiled samphire which beautifully compliments the fish and adds a lovely salty element to go with the preserved lemons.