This tangy barberry sauce is usually served with chicken in a traditional Persian dish called zereshk polo ba morgh, but I discovered that it works just as well with seafood. I like to make this Persian fish recipe using large pieces of a firm flaky white fish – such as ling, blue-eye trevalla or mahi mahi – but it’s also great with prawns or pink fish like salmon or trout. The most common mistake made with seafood is overcooking it, its flesh is more delicate than that of poultry or red meat and so cooks more quickly. By adding it to the sauce just before removing the pan from the heat then setting it aside for 5–10 minutes, it gently poaches in the residual heat, cooking through without drying out. As the sauce is slowly cooling, you can leave it sit for more than 10 minutes without overcooking it, or, if using sashimi-grade fish, you can poach it for less time and serve it rare in the centre. Serve Persian fish with plain steamed rice for a quick dinner, or add the barberry rice in the video below if you prefer. Complete the feast with a glass of Australian rosé, like the delicious sangiovese-based one from Singlefile Wines in Western Australia’s Great Southern region.
Serves 2
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