Lambros' kitchen travellog

It’s been a long time since I’ve presented a recipe with fish, so why not try something a bit different! The actual recipe of “Lavangi fish” is done with a whole fish, stuffed with this filling. I didn’t have that, so I just used cod fillets that I had in my freezer and topped the fillets with this mixture. It turned out quite fine, but I am sure that many Azerbaijani mums and grandmas are going to protest!

And by this recipe, I am concluding all the countries starting with A. It took me about a year to reach this point, let’s see how the rest goes!

Ingredients

• 1 whole white fish (about 1–1.5 kg) — sea bream, haddock, cod, or similar; cleaned
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150 g walnuts, finely ground
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (or 1 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tsp honey)
• 1–2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (cilantro + parsley, or dill + parsley)
• 1 tsp sumac (optional but nice)
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt, plus extra for the fish
• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds (optional, for serving)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)

Steps

• Heat oven to 200°C.
• Make the filling: sauté the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt until soft (6–8 min).
• Stir in walnuts, pomegranate molasses, herbs, sumac, coriander, cumin, pepper, and salt. Cook 1 minute, then let cool slightly.
• Pat the fish dry. Salt inside and out. Stuff the cavity with the walnut mixture; if there’s extra, spread a little over the top.
• Place fish on a lined baking tray. Bake 20–30 min depending on thickness, until opaque and flaky (or ~55°C in the thickest part).
• Rest 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and (optional) pomegranate seeds

Notes

• If using fillets instead of a whole fish: spread filling over 2–4 fillets, roll up, and bake 12–15 minutes