Saluna (Persian Sweet and Sour Codfish)

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I first made this dish as part of a Persian-themed party that we made to celebrate Jessica’s 30th birthday, which happened to fall on the holiday of Purim that year. I spent a few days researching recipes and settled on about a dozen. I thought that the food I made for that party was especially successful and delicious, particularly this fish recipe. After the party, however, the recipes wound up in a folder in the bottom of a kitchen drawer. This year, I happened to be expecting a crowd for Shabbat dinner, and Purim was the next day, so I decided to dig out the folder and reprise some of the recipes, including this most memorable fish dish, which I do not intend to let languish in the drawer any longer. I plan to prepare it regularly in the future, especially because Costco has packages of frozen cod fillets, individually wrapped, that can be kept in the freezer until needed. I think that, perhaps because they are flash-frozen on the boats, they seem even fresher, when cooked, than the fresh fillets.

The tomatoes can be easily peeled if you cover them whole with boiling water and let them sit for several minutes until the water cools down. The skins should slip right off.

Saluna (Persian Sweet and Sour Codfish)

• 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small green serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. light vegetable oil, divided
• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, peeled, halved, and cut in slices
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• juice of 2 large lemons, freshly squeezed, about 1/2 cup
• 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. tomato ketchup
• 6-8 cod fillets, completely defrosted if frozen, weighing 2-3 lbs.

Fry the onions and pepper in 2 Tbsp. of oil in a shallow pan over medium high heat until the onions are soft and transparent, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a separate small saucepan, simmer the lemon juice and sugar, a pinch of salt and the ketchup until the sugar dissolves.

Spread the vegetables on the bottom of an oven-to-table, rectangular baking pan. Rinse and thoroughly dry the shallow frying pan and in it heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium high heat.

Thoroughly dry the cod fillets with paper towels and flash fry a few at a time in the hot oil just until they have some golden color on both sides. Resist the temptation to move the fillets around in the pan once you put them down. Give them a minute or two to set, or they will stick to the pan. There is no need to cook them all the way through as they will be harder to handle and transfer in one piece.

As they develop some color, arrange them on the bed of onions in the baking/serving pan.

Pour the syrup over the fish and vegetables.

Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350° oven for about 15 minutes until the fish is cooked through.

Serve warm.

Serves 8-10.