Sabzi Polo ba Mahi (Fried Fish with Saffron and Herb Rice)

Ingredients:

For the fish:
2 whole large sea bass or 4 small ones (approx. 1 kg total weight), cleaned and scaled
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Advieh Mahi
Salt to taste

For the rice:
400g basmati rice
30g fresh flat-leaf parsley (about half a bunch)
30g fresh dill (about half a bunch)
30g fresh chives (about half a bunch)
30g fresh coriander (about half a bunch)
2 tbsp dried fenugreek
10 garlic cloves
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp saffron threads
2 tbsp salt
2 ice cubes

A couple of lettuce leaves for lettuce tahdig (optional)

4 bitter oranges or lemons to serve

Method:

About 2 hours in advance wash the herbs thoroughly then spread them on top of a clean tea towel to dry. Allow at least 2 hours for them to dry thoroughly.

Grind the saffron threads to a powder in a mortar. Transfer the ice cubes to a glass and sprinkle the ground saffron over it. Keep the glass aside in a warm place.

Take your prepared fish and using a sharp knife cut a few deep slashes on both sides, (this helps it cook more evenly and absorb more flavours). If you have fillets, only make cuts on the skin side. Season both sides and the inside of the cuts with turmeric, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, Advieh Mahi and salt.

If you are seasoning the fish ahead of time, you can slice a lemon or bitter orange and lay the slices on top and inside the cavity of the sea bass. Cover the fish and set them in your refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.

Finely chop the herbs and combine them in a bowl. Combine the dried fenugreek with the fresh herbs at this point.

Peel and finely chop or slice the garlic. Add it to the herb mixture and ensure it's thoroughly combined.

Wash the rice by sloshing it around with your hand in a large bowl of water and then draining it. Repeat this process 4 to 5 times until the water runs clear.

Fill a pan with water and bring to a boil. Add 2 tbsp of salt to the water — don’t worry about this being too much as any excess will be rinsed off later. Once the water is boiling, add the rice to it. The temperature will drop, so return to a boil.

After 3 minutes carefully remove a rice grain with a spoon to see if it is parboiled. You can split the rice grain and look at it. The outside should be soft and translucent, but the centre should still be firm and opaque.

It may take anything from 3 to 10 minutes to parboil the rice to this stage. Check on it every minute or so and be sure to keep an eye on the time, so next time you’ll know how long this particular rice brand takes to parboil.

Once ready, drain the rice in a colander and rinse it with cool water to wash off the excess salt and stop any further cooking.

Add 3 tbsp of vegetable oil to a non-stick pan with a lid and set over medium heat. If you want to make lettuce tahdig, lay a layer of lettuce leaves on the base of the pan. Don’t worry about them laying perfectly flat. The rice will weigh them down enough for them to touch the bottom of the pot.

Add a layer of white rice on top of the lettuce. Then sprinkle a small handful of herbs on top. Repeat this process, creating several layers until all the ingredients are used up.

Poke three holes in the rice with the handle end of a wooden spoon. This will allow the steam to rise more easily. Pour 2 tbsp of water over the rice. Line the lid with a clean kitchen towel, so more moisture can be absorbed.

Once you see steam rising from the pot, firmly cover it with the lid and reduce the temperature to something between low and medium. Let the rice steam for 45 minutes.

In the meantime put a large frying pan on high heat and add the vegetable oil. You can test if the oil is hot enough by holding your wooden spoon in. If bubbles build around the spoon the oil is hot enough to fry the fish.

Carefully transfer the fish to the pan and fry until it has the desired colour and crispiness, then turn it over onto the other side. A medium-sized sea bass takes about 5 minutes on each side but the time may vary depending on the size of the fish. If you have fillets, fry the skin side first. Fillets should take less time to fry than whole fish.

Replace the lid with an upside-down plate and carefully flip the rice over. Remove the tahdig to serve separately.

Now transfer a quarter of the rice to a bowl and combine it with the saffron water. Once the rice has turned an even yellow, arrange it on top of the white herb rice on a serving dish.

Serve your fish with the garlic and herb rice, fresh bitter oranges or lemons and pickled garlic.

If this is your first time eating Sabzi Polo ba Mahi, note that the fish is traditionally flaked with hands or a fork, and then combined with the rice.

You can also shred a piece of smoked fish and mix it in. Now season everything with bitter orange or lemon juice. Everyone does this to their personal serving on their own plate. It’s part of the fun...