Persian Grilled Fish with Saffron, Herbs & Lemon

Fish is the pride of Iran's Caspian and Gulf coasts. Here whole sea bass is marinated with saffron and lemon, stuffed with fresh herbs and grilled.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 1h 25m
Cook: 25 min
Total: 1 hour 50 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 2 whole sea bass (about 700g each), gutted and scaled
  • Juice of 2 lemons (about 60ml)
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp saffron threads, ground and steeped in 3 tbsp hot water
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 30g fresh dill, roughly chopped
  • 30g fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • To serve:
  • Lemon wedges
  • Chelo (Persian steamed rice) and salad Shirazi

Method

  1. Score the fish 3 times on each side, cutting to the bone. Mix the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, saffron water, turmeric, salt and pepper and rub over the fish, inside and out.

  2. Toss the herbs together and stuff the cavities with the herbs and lemon slices. Marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

  3. Preheat the barbecue or grill to medium-high. Bring the fish to room temperature for 15 minutes.

  4. Grill for 8-10 minutes per side, turning once, until the skin is crisp and the flesh is opaque and flakes easily near the bone.

  5. Rest for 3 minutes and serve with lemon wedges, chelo and salad Shirazi.