... Four ...

Oh my god, I can't believe it either - not only is posting two days in a row unheard of around these parts, this is the second non-sweet, non-baked good post ... ever? Oh, the shame. 

So, Persian food is known for two things: it tastes amazing, but it's also way ugly. (Yea, I'm kind of not even trying with the segues anymore, but look on the bright side, my laziness gets us to the main attraction all the sooner.)

Where was I? Yes, the ugly. Sure, Persian kebabs, and plates of steaming rice and grilled vegetables makes it all look wonderfully appetizing, but the best stuff - the stews, the pickles, the beaten down vegetables - look absolutely disgusting. And this recipe, while not exactly Persian in any capacity beyond coming from Iran with cousin Azar on a recent visit, is no exception.  

Just look:

Uh huh, that's the "after" picture of the fish filets above. Horrible, no? But cleaning the bruised, beaten, decrepit-looking pan aside, there is nothing horrible about this. 

What did I do to the fish? Well, it all started with an onion and an unreasonable amount of fresh cilantro. Then some sassy tamarind paste wanted to get in on the action, and the most heavenly smell of sour and fresh (do "sour" and "fresh" have smells?) took over, blinding me to the mess that I was piling on top of perfectly lovely salmon filets. 

Thirty minutes later, I had a panful of salmon infused with tamarind and cilantro. The meat had soaked up every last bit of flavor, leaving the pan parched and covered in crisped tamarind paste. I guess the salmon didn't mind the ugly either. 

***

Salmon with cilantro and tamarind

This recipe comes courtesy of my cousin Azar, who visited the U.S. from Iran this past spring. She stayed mostly with her brother in Virginia, but my family was lucky enough to get her - and her home-cooking! - for a long weekend. Her version involved making this in a deep pot and dumping enough basmati rice to feed an army on top of the vegetable layer. The rice competes with the fish to absorb all the flavors (there is no loser in this battle), and curls around the salmon to create a crust we call "tahdig" at the bottom of the pot. I don't have any reason for not adding the rice other than pure fear of burning the tahdig. Though I suppose some nonsense about "bikini season" would be less embarrassing. 

1 onion, chopped

3 bunches fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

4 salmon filets

3 teaspoons tamarind paste*, combined with enough water to turn the paste into a liquid (about 1/2 cup of water)

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the onion with olive oil in a medium-large skillet until translucent and slightly browned. Add chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Sautee until coriander reduces and begins to crisp. Add tamarind-water mixture, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine. 

Remove vegetables from pan. Arrange fish, skin side down, in pan. Spoon vegetables and juices over fish, to cover completely. Cover pan and cook fish over medium-low heat until cooked through, about 35 minutes. 

Serve over rice or green leafy vegetables, like spinach. 

*Tamarind paste is available in Indian specialty stores and online.