Name: Spicy Sweet + Sour Fish with Dates (Qaliyeh-ye Khorma)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves: 6
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 5 Medjool dates, any remaining hard stalk parts removed, pitted and halved; 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves; 6 thick fish fillets (about 2½ lb/1.1 kg), such as salmon, grouper, or halibut, skins and all bones removed; 1 scant teaspoon cayenne or 2 red Thai chilies, thinly sliced; 1 cup/85 g chopped fresh cilantro; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 1 cup/240 ml apple cider vinegar mixed with 2 tablespoons date molasses or date syrup; 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper; 5 cloves garlic, peeled and grated; 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons oil; 1 green jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

Preparation info

Serves:
6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

Cooking in Iran

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2020

About

Locals make this dish with grouper/hamour, but I’ve found it works very well using fresh Atlantic salmon fillets.

Ingredients

dusting

1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1

Method

For the dusting: In a small bowl, mix together all the dusting ingredients and set aside.
For the fish: Rinse the fish and pat dry, then place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Dust both sides of the fish fillets and place back on the sheet pan. Cover and keep cool until ready to cook.
To cook the fish: Heat the oil in a wid