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Baked Fish With Pomegranate Sauce
Updated Oct. 12, 2023
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- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 4 to 5tablespoons sesame oil
- 2large yellow onions, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
- 2garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 to 3pounds boneless, skin-on striped bass, red snapper or halibut fillets (or any good, thick fleshy fillets; see Tip)
- 2tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1tablespoon honey
- 1tablespoon amba or Dijon mustard
- ½teaspoon curry powder
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon ground sumac
- 1cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- ½cup torn or chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- Cooked rice, bulgur or other grains (optional), for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium and sauté the onions and garlic slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions are almost caramelized, about 20 minutes. Season with a bit of salt and transfer the onions to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish in an even layer. Lay the fish fillets on top of the onions, skin side down. Sprinkle salt over the fish (about 1½ teaspoons for 3 pounds) and rub it into the flesh.
- Step 2
Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons sesame oil with the pomegranate molasses, honey, amba or mustard, curry powder, cumin and sumac; season to taste with salt and pepper. Brush the sauce over the fish.
- Step 3
Bake for 25 minutes (see Tip), until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily when pierced with a fork. Before serving, sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and parsley. Serve with rice, bulgur or other grains, if desired.
- This baked fish recipe is flexible and accommodating — you can use large fillets to feed a crowd or smaller, individual pieces (about 6 ounces per person). If using smaller (or thinner) fillets, they’ll cook through faster, so you should check for doneness at the 20-minute mark.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Would this work with arctic char or salmon?
Sesame oil seems like it would overpower all the other flavors. Would olive oil work here instead?
You can definitely use salmon or arctic char. You can get amba on line and at many Middle Eastern markets but Dijon mustard is a nice substitute. I imagine fig syrup would also be good. Such creativity…I love it!
I would think it would but trout is a more delicate taste. I also made it with bluefish and it was delicious.
Unless you're firmly resolved to make your own, you can buy pomegranate molasses at most grocery stores. Whole Foods stocks it.
Could you make the sauce a day ahead or would the flavors change?
Sesame oil adds a nice dimension, I added xtra honey to tame the tartness and used garam masala powder for the curry, which was nice. Served with buttery mashed potatoes, which was yummy. Will double the sauce next time.
Untoasted. And I would not use olive oil instead. The sesame oil gives depth and complexity.
Am planning to make this recipe over the weekend. Can Amchoor be used instead of Ambar? I will try to make Tejal's Pickled Ambar, but do not have time this weekend to do both.
If you like Persian flavors, this is a great quick meal to assembly and let happen. I use cod and it does not take long to cook once in the oven. I like to serve it with bulgar or coconut rice. It is sort of the of pomegranate version of this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019481-persian-cod-with-herbs-and-tamarind If you don't have herbs on hand, this is a great pantry-friendly option.
I made this with red snapper for last year's Passover seder. Everyone loved it. It was a lot more popular than my brisket, which everyone loved for years until they had this dish. Didn't use amba but coarse mustard instead. People are already asking for it for this year's seder. I'm hoping to try it with halibut this time. It's a winning recipe.
April 2024 made with ha.I but. Really good. Took only 15 minutes.
This was great. Had some pomegranate molasses around from fesenjan recipes. Used red onion as that’s what I had, and the same amount of sauce for just a pound of fish (haddock) for 2. Did not even try to find pomegranate seeds because they seem like a waste of time. Probably more than doubled the honey as sauce seemed a little too tart. Served over wild /brown rice combo. Quite delicious.
Made this recipe yesterday, as a lunch for construction workers building me a BBQ area, accompanied by Tejal's Pickled Amba. Even better than the first time! The workers were wary at first, as some had never had cod before and others said they did not like fish. But all had third helpings! It was absolutely delicious, Tejal's Amba was a big hit as a side sauce, too. I paired the Amba with breakfast eggs this morning, regretted not having any more cod today for lunch, but was great with eggs
What difference will using skinless fillets make in the final product?
I first made this sauce with salmon but we have eaten it on grilled mustardy pork tenderloin, Turkey breast and more. I had to substitute for the pomegranate molasses and used homemade mulberry preserves. Now always do that. Also added a pinch of ground chipotle. Very warming.
This is a terrific recipe. I used a cod loin. You can increase or reduce the portions. Very easy.
I had only 14 oz of fish (haddock) because I was feeding only two. So I cut ingredient measures but that was a mistake, as my sauce didn't have enough flavor and warmth of curry, cumin, or sumac. I'll know better next time. Still, the fish baked beautifully and tasted great anyway!
one of the most amazing things i have cooked in a while. just used trader joes cod, left off the pomegranite seeds but followed remaining recipe. delicious and easy. roadted some asparagas at the same time which was great with the marinade as well.
I made this today but the sauce simply ran off the fish and burned on the bottom of the pan. Did I use too much sauce? I was thinking that next time, I might cook the fish with a tiny layer of sauce then spoon the rest on for the last 5 minutes. I want it to work because I loved the sauce.
This was simple and very tasty. I used cod b/c that's what I had to hand.
I used half the amount of sesame oil in combination with olive oil and it still overwhelmed the other flavors. Couldn’t taste the curry at all. My halibut filet was quite thick and there was not enough sauce for the fish. Overall this was disappointing, I would not make again.
Could mango chutney be substituted for the amba?
Made this with some beautiful halibut. Lovely, lovely dish. Used bulgar but I think next time orzo or israeli couscous or farro.
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