Narsharab
“A thick, tart-sweet pomegranate molasses made by slowly boiling down fresh pomegranate juice until syrupy, lightly spiced and used to dress grilled fish, kebabs and sturgeon.”
Where it comes from
Narsharab is Azerbaijan's signature pomegranate molasses, the juice of tart pomegranates boiled down to a thick, glossy, ruby sauce. Drizzled over grilled sturgeon and other fish, it is the country's defining sweet-sour note.
On the plate
A single drizzle is intensely tangy and faintly sweet, with a deep ruby color and a puckering pomegranate sharpness that cuts through fatty grilled fish. Warm spice notes linger underneath the fruit's bright acidity.
How it works
Long reduction evaporates water and concentrates the pomegranate's sugars and acids, thickening the juice into a glossy syrup whose tartness brightens and balances rich grilled proteins.
Variations
narsharab with extra basil, unspiced pure reduction, version sweetened with a little sugar, sauce blended with garlic for kebabs
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 12How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓60 min active
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 115 min
Juice fresh ripe pomegranates, straining out the seeds and pith.
- 22 min
Pour the juice into a wide non-reactive pot.
- 35 min
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
- 435 min
Simmer steadily, skimming any foam, until the juice reduces by roughly half.
- 52 min
Stir in a little salt, black pepper and a pinch of cinnamon and coriander.
- 615 min
Continue reducing until the sauce coats the back of a spoon like syrup.
- 730 min
Cool completely, during which it thickens further.
- 82 min
Bottle and serve as a dip or glaze for grilled fish and meats.
