Bell Pepper

Baked Salmon With Walnuts & Barberries

by:
May 23, 2018
4.7
6 Ratings
Baked Salmon With Walnuts & Barberries
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • Serves 6 people
Author Notes

Good old salmon takes a Persian twist with a barberry-walnut topping. The unique combination of tart barberries and crunchy walnuts complements the flaky salmon very well. —Shadi Hasanzadenemati

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the salmon
  • 6 salmon fillets, skin on
  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • For the barberry-walnut topping
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried barberries
  • 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Directions
  1. For the salmon
  2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with olive oil.
  3. Place the salmon fillets on the baking sheet and sprinkle on the salt, pepper, turmeric, and paprika.
  4. Bake the salmon fillets in the oven for 20 minutes or until they’re fully cooked.
  1. For the barberry-walnut topping
  2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and saute onion and bell pepper until the onion is golden brown.
  3. Add in minced garlic, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Cook for 5 minutes over medium low heat.
  4. Add in chopped walnuts and give it a nice stir, mix in the barberries and pomegranate molasses and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
  5. Top the salmon fillets with the barberry-walnut mixture and serve immediately.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Simone T.
    Simone T.
  • Shannon Johnson Ragland
    Shannon Johnson Ragland
  • FrugalCat
    FrugalCat
  • Shadi Hasanzadenemati
    Shadi Hasanzadenemati
  • Isabel Prosper
    Isabel Prosper
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Shadi HasanzadeNemati is a food writer and recipe developer at Unicorns in the Kitchen. She loves a good tahdig and her favorite spice is saffron.

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15 Reviews

Simone T.
Simone T. October 3, 2024
This is a very simple recipe to prepare resulting in beautiful, complex flavors and texture. I substituted cranberries for barberries and it was delicious. Highly recommend! Thank you to Shadi for sharing this recipe- it's definitely a new (and likely lifelong!) favorite!
 
k2
k2 April 2, 2022
I recently made this for company and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. The walnut, barberries and pomegranate sauce was simply outstanding! Going forward, I will not eat salmon without it!
 
Shannon J.
Shannon J. June 29, 2019
Good afternoon! Is there a specific brand of pomegranate molasses that you can recommend?
 
Shadi H.
Shadi H. June 30, 2019
Hi Shannon, I usually use Cortas pomegranate molasses but if you find Iranian brands like Sadaf, that works as well.
 
Patty H.
Patty H. July 29, 2018
Has anyone tried this recipe? Can the author address whether the barberries are soaked before use? Other recipes advise soaking or you will get a gritty texture.
 
Shadi H.
Shadi H. July 29, 2018
Hi Patty. For this recipe I wouldn't soak the barberries as they are going to be cooked with pomegranate molasses. :)
 
Patty H.
Patty H. July 29, 2018
And no gritty results, interesting:)
 
Isabel P.
Isabel P. August 13, 2018
I am soaking my barberries because they are sandy. How do you prevent the salmon from getting the white sweat that comes out of it.
 
Patty H.
Patty H. August 13, 2018
I’m not sure so I am curious to hear someone’s answer.
 
FrugalCat
FrugalCat July 10, 2018
Where can one find barberries? And what can I use if I can't procure them?
 
ThedaBara
ThedaBara July 10, 2018
Hi FrugalCat,
I looked around and found two decent substitutes for barberries-chopped up dried sour cherries(like the ones sold at Trader Joe's) or currants soaked in lemon juice. Hope this helps!
 
witloof
witloof July 21, 2018
I can buy barberries in NYC at Kalustyan's, and I am sure you can order them from there online.
 
Patty H.
Patty H. July 29, 2018
Amazon.
 
luke
luke June 21, 2018
is the onion in the topping diced?

thanks!
 
Shadi H.
Shadi H. June 21, 2018
Hi Luke! Yes, it's diced :)