Sabzi Polo ba Mahi

Medium·35 min

Fragrant rice steamed with a mountain of chopped dill, cilantro, parsley, and chives, served beside golden pan-fried white fish. The traditional centerpiece of the Persian New Year table.

On Nowruz, the spring equinox that begins the Persian year, families gather over sabzi polo ba mahi. The green herbs stand for rebirth and the renewal of the earth, while the fish symbolizes life and motion—a meal eaten with hope as the old year dissolves into the new. The Caspian provinces favor the local white fish, the kutum, a Caspian member of the carp family, drawn from the sea each spring.

The rice is intensely green and herbaceous, dill and chives perfuming every grain, lifted by saffron. The fish is crisp-skinned and tender, brightened with a squeeze of lemon. Fresh, springlike, and deeply comforting.

Folding chopped herbs through parboiled rice before the steam stage infuses the grains with chlorophyll aroma while the dam method keeps them fluffy. Frying the fish separately preserves its crisp skin against the soft rice.

Variations

Caspian white fish, salmon, or sea bass; served with kuku sabzi alongside

On the Palate

Where Sabzi Polo ba Mahi sits in the Persian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 6

3 cupsBasmati Rice

1 cup choppedDill

1 cup choppedCilantro

How it's made

8 steps · 35 min

1
32 min
Rinse and soak basmati rice in salted water for 30 minutes.
2
12 min
Finely chop a large quantity of dill, cilantro, parsley, and chives.
3
9 min
Parboil the drained rice 6 minutes, then drain and toss with the chopped herbs.
Watch out
Parboil just 6 minutes so the grains bend but stay firm at the core — they finish softening in the steam.
4
8 min
Layer the herbed rice in a buttered pot over a potato or bread tahdig; drizzle with saffron and oil.
5
47 min
Cover with a tea towel and lid and steam (dam) on low heat about 45 minutes.
Watch out
Wrap the lid in a towel and keep the heat low — you want gentle steam building, not water boiling the grains to mush.
6
4 min
Season the white fish with turmeric, salt, and pepper.
7
12 min
Pan-fry the fish in hot oil until the skin is crisp and golden and the flesh flakes.
Watch out
Don't move the fish until the skin releases and turns crisp-golden — flip too early and the skin tears and sticks.
8
3 min
Serve the herb rice with the fried fish, lemon wedges, and Seville orange or garlic pickle.