Slow Roasted Salmon Side garnished with chopped Zeytoon Parvardeh. What is Zeytoon Parvardeh, you ask? It’s a famous Persian marinated whole-olive appetizer! Here I’ve chopped the olives to make a great garnish for this festive fish dish.
Zeytoon Parvardeh, comes from Northern Iran and it is sometimes called ‘Caspian Olives’ since its origin (Gilan Province) lies close to the sea. This topping is a magical marinated combo of pitted green olives, pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds, garlic, walnuts, mint, parsley and dill.
It really hits all the right notes: nutty, salty, meaty, fleshy, sweet, tart, sour and herb-a-licious too. Used as a garnish it’s delicious with any fish; Sturgeon being the obvious choice, considering its origin.
I used mint in my recipe but the original herb that it replaces is: chuchagh which is hard to find here in the Bay Area. Traditionally the mint and garlic are chopped and mashed up together and the walnut is grated or pulverized in a cuisinart but I’ve opted for a rough chop here instead. Feel free to make it yours and add a little cilantro too if desired.
I use this garnish to top hummus appetizers also, so keep this little salsa of sorts in your rolodex of interesting and delicious toppings. Or forget about chopping the green olives – and serve it up as an appetizer in its original whole form alongside some frosty martinis.
Roasting a whole salmon side could not be easier and it’s so pretty for a party. Obviously I’m thinking Easter and Passover here, but it’s festive enough for any feed-a-crowd occasion.
Some pointers for roasting whole salmon sides…
Have your fish monger take out the pin bones, or do it yourself by gently pulling out the thin bones with fish tweezers the direction they are pointing – do not pull against the flesh or it will tear. Run your fingers along the flesh to feel the bones.
Also, skin your side and remove all of the grey fat from the underside, this part tends to get a little fishy smelling as it rests, so it’s best to remove before baking.
After skinning and removing the pin bones, I place my salmon side on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use two pieces of parchment overlapping by more than half. This way, when ready to transfer the fish, you can grab the ends of the paper (without it breaking because of the double layer underneath) and quickly move it to the serving platter. Once on the plate, pull the parchment out on either side.
Season the salmon with sea salt, ground cumin and ground sundried lime, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake in a slow oven around 325F until medium rare.
Test for doneness by inserting a metal toothpick (I’ve even used a paperclip or the tip of a thin knife), into the thickest part of the flesh and leave it for 10 seconds. Press the metal toothpick tester just to the bottom of your bottom lip (almost underneath it, so as not to burn your lip). It if feels just barely warm – your fish is still on the rare side of medium rare but making progress. If it feels nicely warm, then the fish is medium rare! If it feels a little hotter than warm – you’ve hit medium. If it feels burning hot – your fish is overcooked, take it out immediately!!!! If it feels cold, it’s not cooked at all, stick it back in the oven….
While this salmon dish is delicious on it’s own, I think it’s EVEN BETTER served alongside my Harissa Roasted Carrot dish or at the very least with the Labneh-Tahini-Honey mixture that accompanies it (included below). Without this creamy sauce, I feel the dish is not quite complete, For the perfect bite, make sure you add this creamy counterpoint!
Ingredients
- ZEYTOON PARVARDEH GARNISH
- 2 cups whole, pitted green Olives, quartered and chopped
- 1 cup whole walnuts, chopped the same size as the olives
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced and then mashed
- 3 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup loosely packed flat leave parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill sprigs, chopped
- LABNEH TAHINI SAUCE
- 8oz Labneh or Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons honey (more if you prefer)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- SALMON
- 4-5 pound salmon side, pin bones, grey fat and skin removed
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground sundried Persian lime
- 2 Meyer lemons
- Kosher salt to season
Chopped Zeytoon Parvardeh Garnish: Add all of the ingredients except the fresh herbs to a mixing bowl and mix, set aside and allow to marinate for 10 minutes. When the salmon is ready to be roasted, add the herbs to the mixture.
Labneh-Tahinie-Honey Sauce: Whisk the ingredients and taste. Adjust salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Salmon Side:Preheat oven to 325˚F and place the oven rack in the middle. Place the cleaned salmon side in the middle of a parchment lined baking sheet. Remember to use TWO PIECES of parchment overlapping by over one half so that it is to carry the salmon off the tray and onto a platter and easy to remove the paper after decanted.
Season the salmon with salt. Mix the ground cumin and sun-dried Persian lime together in a bowl and sprinkle over entire side. Drizzle a little olive oil overtop and place overlapping Meyer lemon slices down the middle (if desired). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until salmon is medium-rare. Please see my above tips in the post on how to check for doneness in fish.
When the salmon is perfectly cooked, transfer to a large serving platter by taking hold of the parchment at both ends of the fish. It helps if some one can slide the platter underneath at this stage to minimize motion. Gently place the salmon side down and remove the parchment. Squeeze a little Meyer lemon over top and garnish down the center and over the lemon slices with the Zeytoon Parvardeh. If there is enough leftover, serve alongside the fish alongside the Labneh-Tahini-Honey Sauce
