Fish Stuffed With Herbs, Walnuts and Pomegranate

Name: Fish Stuffed With Herbs, Walnuts and Pomegranate
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: middle eastern
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed; 2 large shallots, minced; Salt; 1/2 cup very finely chopped parsley leaves and tender stems (about 1 small bunch); 1/2 cup very finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 1 bunch); 1/4 cup very finely chopped dill leaves and tender stems (about 1 small bunch); 1/3 cup very finely chopped chives (about 1 bunch); 2 sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped and very finely chopped; 1/4 cup very finely chopped scallions (about 3 scallions); 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 cup walnuts, finely ground in a food processor; 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest; 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 orange); 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes); 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses; 2 tablespoons tobiko (flying fish roe), optional; 4 whole branzino or rainbow trout, 1 pound each, butterflied

Recipe from Hanif Sadr

Adapted by Samin Nosrat

Fish Stuffed With Herbs, Walnuts and Pomegranate — Michael Kraus for The New York Times

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 5(415)
Notes: Read community notes

During Nowruz, the Persian New Year, it's traditional to eat fish, a symbol of life. This version, adapted from the chef Hanif Sadr, is stuffed with bij, a mixture of chopped herbs, walnuts and pomegranate molasses that forms the base of many northern Iranian dishes. After a short turn in a hot oven, the fish emerges with crisp, brown skin. The sweet and sour herb filling contrasts with the delicate, flaky fish without overwhelming it. You can use a food processor to chop the herbs if you’d like. It's key to do the herbs in batches (don't overfill the bowl of the processor), to pulse rather than run and to stop and scrape a few times for even chopping. Work until the pieces are nice and small, about an eighth of an inch or the size of a small sunflower seed, but not so far that they begin to break down and form a paste. —Samin Nosrat

Featured in: The Verdant Food of Iran Entices at Persian New Year

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

4tablespoons olive oil, more as needed
2large shallots, minced
Salt
½cup very finely chopped parsley leaves and tender stems (about 1 small bunch)
½cup very finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems (about 1 bunch)
¼cup very finely chopped dill leaves and tender stems (about 1 small bunch)
⅓cup very finely chopped chives (about 1 bunch)
2sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped and very finely chopped
¼cup very finely chopped scallions (about 3 scallions)
4cloves garlic, minced
½cup walnuts, finely ground in a food processor
½teaspoon finely grated orange zest
½cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 orange)
¼cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
2tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2tablespoons tobiko (flying fish roe), optional
4whole branzino or rainbow trout, 1 pound each, butterflied

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 475 degrees. Set a large frying pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When oil shimmers, add shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes until the shallots are tender and golden brown.
Step 2
Meanwhile, place herbs, scallions, garlic and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon to combine.
Step 3
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan, then add the herb mixture. Add a generous pinch of salt and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until herbs begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
Step 4
Combine zest, orange juice and lime juice in a small bowl or glass. Add 6 tablespoons of the juice mixture to the herbs and cook another 4 minutes, until the taste of raw garlic subsides and the liquid simmers away. Add pomegranate molasses and tobiko, if using. Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes, until molasses is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.
Step 5
Season the fish with salt, inside and out. Lay the fish open on a cutting board and drizzle 1 tablespoon juice mixture onto the flesh of each fish. Spoon about ¼ cup stuffing inside each fish and tie closed with kitchen twine spaced 2 inches apart.
Step 6
Lightly drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil and lay fish on the sheet. Drizzle remaining juice over fish. Roast until flesh is opaque, flaky and firm to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ratings

5 out of 5

415 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Stevie6 years ago

I would reduce the pomegranate molasses by half. The flavor overwhelmed the herbs and shallots.

Maria6 years ago

Use your eyes and hands and all the parts of your self that allow you to know about how many herbs you want to chop and stuff into your fishes. It's a life-affirming process, unlike the weighing of individual stems.

Haudi6 years ago

Pre-heat the baking pan

Ellen N.6 years ago

It would be nice if the recipe writer would add weights. It's a pain to stuff herbs in a measuring cup.

Maggie6 years ago

No, I think the photo is of butterflied fish tied back together over stuffing, as the recipe indicates.

Lily in CT6 years ago

I made the full amount of herb stuffing and froze half of it successfully. I layered the rest between two pieces of flounder and baked them. It worked out great. I'll be making the stuffing and freezing it again as it's nice to have on hand.

Erica6 years ago

I'm a lover of cooking Branzino, and this is a fantastic recipe. I would not try this exact flavor combination with trout, I'd perhaps half the pmegranote but for Branzino this is a perfect combination. I have now both grilled and baked this. Be sure to ask your fish monger to butterfly the Branzino. It will be a slit through the belly to remove the guts. Do not descale, enjoy!

Barbara6 years ago

Made it exactly as written, and it was just amazing. I stuffed and tied the fish a few hours before roasting, and put it straight from refrigerator to preheated oven. 20 minutes cooking time was perfect.

Sandra6 years ago

I couldn't find fresh whole fish, so I used two fresh trout fillets on top of each other (skin on the outside of course) with the herb stuffing in between, and it was delicious. 20 minutes was too long for the fillets, however, I think 12-15 minutes would have been enough, but it depends on the thickness of the fillets.... LOVED this recipe....

Sophie6 years ago

Update: I ate leftovers the next day cold and it was better than the day before.

Natalie6 years ago

The calorie count is for a whole fish, which seems alot. Most people only eat a half.

Jen6 years ago

I think the filling is a little too intensely flavored for that. It's delicious, but you want to use it sparingly. If you mixed the herbs, scallion/garlic, pom molasses, and citrus zest into yogurt, or diced cucumber, or something else with a milder flavor, I think that would be great.

Laura6 years ago

What is "butterflied" fish?

Julie6 years ago

Could you use this recipe as a salsa?

Sophie6 years ago

The filling overpowers the taste of the trout rather than complementing it. The filling is delicious though. Very similar to fesanjan. I will try again with less pomegranate molasses.

OpObserver011 week ago

When I buy Bronzino it’s always sold in threes. I saved the leftover herb stuffing from the third fish, adding it to a bowl. I removed the leftover fish from the bones and mixed it with the stuffing to make a delicious fish salad. We ate it on plain Carr crackers. Really good.

dianna3 months ago

I made this for my family last night and it came out amazing. I used two whole Branzino and I did half the herb mixture and pomegranate molasses like many suggested. I didn’t have an orange so I left out the orange zest. It was delicious! We pairs it with grilled asparagus, grilled cauliflower steaks, hummus, tabbouleh, and lavash. We will definitely have this again.

OpObserver016 months ago

I found that wrapping the fish with twine was not necessary. I discovered a wonderful way to use the single leftover fish. I removed the meat from the bone, and scooped the filling out of the cavity and into a bowl. Breaking the fish apart into small pieces, I added the delicious leftover filling along with about a tablespoon of vegan mayo. Mixed together it created the most amazing fish salad, which I served on large leaves of lettuce and also spread on toasted baguette slices.

Donna6 months ago

I guess I am late to finding this sooo delicious recipe. I omitted the chives (didn't have them); walnuts (for a no nut person); and pomegranate molasses (was going to use balsamic vinegar but forgot). Despite these shortcomings the resulting dish was amazing pared with grilled asparagus. I have never done a WHOLE fish before, and just decided to do IT. Thank you Samin! Will try et al version next time.

Kellie1 year ago

I made it with Branzino and it came out delicious. I'll make the herb, nut, and pomegranate stuffing again.

Edvige1 year ago

Made this for NYE dinner and it was very good, the only thing a little awkward is when you untie the fish and open it up to serve, the stuffing is stuck on one side so the presentation is off. Suggestions?

Alena1 year ago

Forgot to butterfly fish but still worked well. Didn’t have pomegranate molasses so used balsamic mixed with a bit of raspberry jam, worked well.

Judy H-M1 year ago

This was absolutely delicious, one of the best new things I have made recently.

Lili Wise1 year ago

Absolutely delicious! Subbed hazelnuts and black garlic molasses with lime zest and extra lime juice as that’s what I had on hand. Served with black rice a white radicchio & fennel salad. Super yum.

Sejo1 year ago

Excellent recipe. It does require a lot of prep work - primarily chopping, but it is worth it.

Bunny2 years ago

I have made this twice, so far! Once in the oven and once on the grill. While I love the grilled version, I had some trouble keeping everything together when turning and removing to platter. The oven cooking was much simpler for me. Regardless, I love, love this preparation. Garnish with pomegranate arils for a little sparkle on the platter.

Jefe2 years ago

Made this tonight as directed and it was delicious.

John Conor2 years ago

Wonderful dish. One thing we did different: instead of using pomegranate molasses, we just used pomegranate seeds. No added sugar. Perhaps not authentic, but we loved it nonetheless.

corleoja.2 years ago

Absolutely delicious. A lot of cutting but it’s worth it at the end!!! Highly recommend it!!!!

Lisa2 years ago

I was so pleased with this! I loved the prescribed amount of pomegranate molasses but used the herbs I had handy - cilantro, italian parsley, mint and oregano. Odd combo but it worked! The walnuts really make the texture interesting with the moist branzino flesh.

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