Recipe for the sauce comes from Paula Wolfert’s, “The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean”. Keep the sauce for at least a day to allow the flavors to meld. This dish is best served cold, or rather, at a cool room temperature.

Halibut with Creamy Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce

a large piece of filleted halibut, folded to form a neat rectangle or a large two-inch-thick piece of white fish

1 3/4 cups shelled walnuts (6 oz)
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or a pinch cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
pinch saffron powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, diluted in 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon crushed fresh coriander/cilantro

For the sauce:
Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor, adding the cilantro at the end and giving it several brief pulses until all you see are specks of green.

For the fish:
Season the fillet with salt. Place in a small baking pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

The sauce will be thick like peanut butter, add a little water to get the right consistency of a thick sauce and pour over the fish.