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Serves/Makes: 6 - 8

Ingredients:

• 1 large whole whitefish (3-4 pounds), scaled and cleaned (keep the head on)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• Fresh juice of 1/2 lemon (2-3 tablespoons)
Stuffing:
• 1 large onion, finely grated or ground
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, ground
• 1 tablespoon sour paste* or 5-6 large dried sour plums, pitted and chopped, or 1/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

How to cook Azerbaijani Baked Fish Stuffed with Walnuts:

• Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Rub inside and out with salt and pepper.
• Prepare the filling. Place the onion on a fine sieve and press to remove the juices. In a mixing bowl, combine onion, walnuts, sour paste or dried sour plums, or pomegranate seeds, andsalt and pepper. Mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Using a spoon, fill the cavity of the fish with the walnut stuffing. Make sure you pack the mixture tightly inside.
• Pin the cavity shut with wooden barbecue skewers or cocktail sticks. Or, if available, sew it up tightly with kitchen twine. Place the fish on a baking sheet and pour the lemon juice over it. If you sewed the cavity, place the fish on a baking sheet in an upright position, seam side down. It looks beautiful when you remove it from the oven and place it on a platter in that position. If you used skewers like me just lay the fish on one side. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the fish is browned and flakes easily with a fork.
• Arrange the baked whitefish on a serving platter and discard the pins or twine. Garnish with lemon slices, pomegranate seeds and serve with rice pilaff or bread and pomegranate paste (Narsharab) on the side. When serving, slice the baked fish into pieces making sure each one has some filling inside.

Notes:

*Sour paste is a sort of chutney-like puree made of sour plums.
The Azerbaijani name for the Azerbaijani Baked Fish Stuffed with Walnuts recipe is Baliq Levengi.

Tips:

You can substitute whitefish with sea bass, red snapper, or red mullet.
If the fish has a roe (in Azerbaijani - kuru, in Russian - ikra), do not discard it when cleaning the fish. Add it raw to the walnut mixture, reducing the amount of walnuts accordingly. Stuffing with fish roe is very delicious.

This recipe for Azerbaijani Baked Fish Stuffed with Walnuts serves/makes: 6 - 8

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Main Ingredient: Whitefish
Preparation Method: Baked
Cuisine: Other Asian