There is a flavor combination that is distinctly Iraqi, and once you know it, you recognize it everywhere. Sweet and sour, warm and fragrant, built from silan and pomegranate molasses. It is the kind of sauce that fills the kitchen with a smell that feels like home before the dish even hits the table.
Saluna is a traditional Iraqi fish dish, and this is my version. I add cauliflower and chickpeas, which soak up that sweet and tangy sauce beautifully and make the dish feel hearty enough to anchor a meal. The salmon braises gently in the sauce until it is just cooked through, tender and deeply flavored.
This is exactly the kind of dish I love to serve as part of a Friday night Shabbat spread. Set it out alongside a table full of salads, some warm bread to soak up the sauce and you have everything you need for a beautiful, abundant meal.
Saluna: Iraqi Style Salmon with Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower cut into florets (about 4-5 lbs)
- 1 15.5 oz can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
- 5 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 tsp curry powder divided
- kosher salt
- 3 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- ⅓ cup silan
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3-3½ lb salmon cut into fillets
- 3 large tomatoes thinly sliced (heirloom if you can find)
- ½ cup Italian parsley chopped fine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a deep 16"x10" roasting pan add cauliflower, chickpeas, 3 tbsp of olive oil, curry powder and a generous sprinkle of salt. Toss to combine and cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is softened.
- Meanwhile make the sweet and sour onion mixture. Heat a large frying pan on medium-low heat. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and all of the sliced onions, stirring occasionally. Allow onions to soften turn translucent, 12-15 minutes. Adjust heat if necessary so that the onions don't burn.
- Add in 1 tbsp of tomato paste, remaining 1 tsp of curry powder and a generous sprinkle of salt. Stir to combine and cook until the tomato paste has changed colors, about 2 minutes. Pour in the pomegranate molasses, silan, and lemon juice, stir to combine and turn off the heat. Sprinkle again with salt.
- Remove cauliflower mixture from the oven and allow it to cool a little bit. Arrange the filets of salmon in the roasting pan beside the the pieces of cauliflower. Try to make an evenly spaced pattern of salmon and cauliflower so that it all fits snuggly.
- Season the tops of the salmon with salt. Spread the onion mixture on top of the salmon and cauliflower so that it covers everything evenly. Top with tomato slices, sprinkle with a bit more salt and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Then boil on high for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with parsley. Serve as a main course with rice or as the fish course of your Shabbat meal.