Persian Fish with Barberry Sauce

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 use 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 with plain steamed rice for a quick dinner, or add the barberry rice in the video below if you prefer.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 x 300g piece mahi mahi fillet, skin off, pin-boned
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
25g butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon tomato paste
⅔ cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried barberries
Pinch saffron threads
Steamed rice, for serving

Method

Remove fish from fridge 30–60 minutes before cooking.
Cut it into large bite-sized chunks, cover and set aside to come to room temperature.
Place oil in a small, high-side frying pan over low–medium heat.
Add onion and a generous pinch of salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–15 minutes, until just starting to colour.
Stir in butter, garlic, turmeric and a good grind of pepper.
When butter has melted, add tomato paste and stir for a minute or so, until aromatic.
Add water and lemon juice, increase heat and bring to the boil, stirring to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile place barberries, saffron and 1 tablespoon warm water in a small bowl. Set aside.
Stir barberries, saffron and soaking liquid into the pan.
Add fish and increase heat just enough to bring to the boil.
As soon as liquid boils, turn fish over, cover and remove from heat. Set aside for 5–10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish and whether you want it rare or cooked through.
If the cooking liquid is quite thin when ready to serve, remove the fish to a plate and boil the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens to a light glaze consistency.
Serve with steamed rice.