Fish in Yogurt Sauce

(Leben Imo)

“Back when I was a kid my grandmother had dishes like this waiting for me when I came home from school,” said Osama Dalal of his leben imo (“mother’s yogurt”), a dish of tender braised spinach topped with white fish fillets cooked in coriander-scented yogurt sauce. “But it was made with meat, and was really labor intensive. You had to stand over the yogurt for hours, cooking it over a super-low temperature so it wouldn’t break,” he told me. He solved that problem by creating a sort of béchamel that you can make in advance and hold until you’re ready to cook the fish and spinach, making this great dinner-party food. It’s a bit richer than you might expect, but that much more delicious, too. Serve with Jeweled Rice or even Tahdig, either of which would be a great landing spot for the creamy sauce. The accompanying salad is generously dressed with the one-two punch of Pomegranate Molasses and lemon as well as a hint of spice.

Serves 6

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

FISH

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

5 tablespoons minced garlic

2½ tablespoons ground coriander

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup half-and-half or whole milk

2½ cups full-fat yogurt, preferably made from goat’s milk or sheep’s milk

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

Eight 4-ounce skinless center-cut whitefish fillets (2 pounds), such as halibut

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

One 1-pound bunch spinach, stems removed and discarded, or 10 ounces prewashed baby spinach

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground sumac

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Chopped fresh mint, for garnish

OSAMA’S SALAD

8 cups (8 ounces) assorted fresh greens and tender herbs (arugula, mustard greens, mint, dill), coarsely chopped

5 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

2 medium blood oranges (or regular oranges), segmented, juice reserved*

2 medium radishes, thinly sliced

¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1 hot chili pepper, seeded and sliced

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon Pomegranate Molasses

Generous seasoning of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Make the fish: In a 9- or 10-inch skillet, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the minced garlic and the coriander and cook, stirring, until the garlic is slightly softened but not browned and the coriander is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour all at once and cook, whisking, until the flour absorbs the butter and turns a light golden color, 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring, until a thick paste forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the yogurt and salt and cook, whisking often, until thickened, silky, and pourable, 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and press foil on the surface of the sauce so that it doesn’t form a skin.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Pat the fish dry and season it generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large (at least 10-inch), oven-safe high-sided skillet (nonstick or coated cast-iron if you have it), heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat and brown the fish lightly, 2 to 3 minutes per side (the fish won’t be fully cooked through; this will happen in the oven). Transfer the fish to a plate, using a spatula to gently dislodge the fish if it’s slightly stuck to the skillet (don’t wash the skillet; you’ll be using it again).

With the heat still at medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to any juices and oil in the skillet you used to cook the fish, then add the remaining 3 tablespoons of garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the spinach in batches and cook while stirring until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, then set the fish on top of the spinach. Pour the reserved yogurt sauce over the fish, shaking the skillet gently so the sauce settles well into the greens and between the pieces of fish. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the top is very lightly golden and the edges are bubbly, 16 to 17 minutes. Use a paring knife to cut one piece of the fish to make sure it’s just opaque and cooked through; if not, return to the oven for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the sumac, pine nuts, and mint.

Make the salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, scallions, orange segments, radishes, pine nuts, and chili pepper. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, any reserved blood orange juice, pomegranate molasses, and salt and pepper and to taste and toss to coat.

*To make orange segments, slice the top and bottom off of an orange so it can sit flat on the counter. Using a sharp knife and starting from the top, cut away the zest and white pith beneath, leaving the orange flesh exposed. Hold the orange in your hand over a bowl. Release the segments by cutting the flesh away from the white membrane surrounding the segments. Squeeze the juice from the web of membranes into a small bowl.