Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi Recipe (Herbed Rice With Fish)

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Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi or Persian herbed rice with fish is one of the foods that Iranians eat for dinner or lunch in Nowruz (or pronounced norooz, norous). Nowruz is the Persian new year, and it is the first day of spring (the third week of March).

Persian people celebrate this day with visiting relatives and neighbors, and it is impossible to celebrate without food and pastries. You can make Qottab for Nowruz pastry. Also, you can read more about the Nowruz food tradition.

Probably Sabzi Polo Mahi has not been a tradition because it was hard to find fish in every city. People used to cook food is most prevalent in their family. Some popular Persian foods that you can find in some areas as a Norooz food are Reshteh Polo, Fesenjoon, Ghormeh Sabzi, Dolmeh Barg Mo, and Ash Reshteh.

It is time to learn about Sabzi Polo ingredients and dive into the Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi recipe.

Other Persian seafood:

Meygoo Polo Recipe; Make Persian Prawn Rice in 7 Steps

Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi Recipe Ingredients

As the name shows, we need a mix of herbs for our food. Parsley, dill, Tareh (chives/scallion), and cilantro are herbs we need. It is better to use them fresh and chopped. But if you can not find them, use them dry. If you are a fan of mixed herb with rice, there is another Persian food called Baghali Polo.

Also, we need fish for our food. You can use any type of fish like tilapia, salmon, whitefish, halibut, trout, and so on. Likewise, it is possible to fry or grill the fish, and it is up to you. After all, bring the ingredients in the list below to cook our sabzi polo Mahi norooz.

Sabzi Polo Ingredients

2 cups Basmati rice
1 cup finely chopped fresh dill
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup chopped fresh Tareh (chives/scallion)
¼ teaspoon ground saffron
2 tablespoons salt

Fried fish Ingredients

4 pieces whitefish fillets
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ tablespoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ tablespoon salt

Persian Herbed Rice with Fish Recipe

First, we will cook Sabzi polo, and while the herbed rice is steaming, we will fry the fish. It is the best scheduling and we can serve our food warm.

Step one

Wash 2 cups of Basmati rice several times till making its water clear.

Step two

Pour water on the rice. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and let it soak for at least an hour. The more it soaks, it will be fluffier.

Step three

After soaking, drain the rice.

Step four

Bring a pot with 5 cups of water. Heat it till boiling.

Step five

Pour soaked rice into the boiling water.

Step six

Let the rice boil on medium heat till rice grains come up.

Step seven

Add mixed chopped herbs to the pot. Stir it once gently.

Step eight

After 3 minutes, pour the rice and herbs into a colander. Splash some cold water on them.

Step nine

Heat a pot. Pour 4 tablespoons of oil.

Step ten

Choose your Tahdig. If you want flatbread Tahdig, place a Lavash bread. Alternatively, you can have rice Tahdig. For rice Tahdig, pour 2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron.

Step eleven

Pour the rice and herb mixture into the pot like a pyramid and pour bloomed saffron on the rice.

Step twelve

Make 2 or 3 holes with the bottom of the fork in the rice. Pour ¼ cup of water and 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil (butter is another alternative).

Step thirteen

Wrap the lid with a kitchen towel. Cover the pan.

Step fourteen

Heat for 5 minutes with medium heat and 40 minutes with low heat to steam the rice.

Step fifteen

Our delicious Sabzi Polo is ready!

Fried fish recipe:

Step one

It is better to use fresh fish. But if it is frozen, defrost it by putting it in the refrigerator overnight.

Step two

Before seasoning, salt them with ½ tablespoon salt.

Step three

Mix 2 tablespoons flour, ½ tablespoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon ground pepper.

Step four

Coat fish fillets with spices.

Step five

Bring a pan with 8 tablespoons oil (if it is not enough, add more). Heat the oil.

Step six

When the oil is hot, place the fillets in the pan. If your fish piece has skin, put it on the skinless side.

Step seven

When it turns slightly brown, turn it to another side and fry it too.

Step eight

I suggest you use a splatter screen to avoid splashing grease.

Our delicious fried fish is ready!

How to Serve Sabzi Polo Mahi?

Mix rice and herbs gently—Transfer Sabzi Polo with a skimmer to a platter. Put fish pieces beside the rice. Do not forget to divide Tahdig into equal parts for all.

You can garnish your rice with making golden rice by mixing bloomed saffron and rice. Serve Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi with Torshi seer (garlic pickled), Salad Shirazi, and a squeeze of Seville orange or lemon. Kuku sabzi is the best appetizer with Sabzi Polo, and do not miss it!

I hope you enjoyed this Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi recipe, and I am excited to read about your experiences with it. So do not forget to write about it in the comments!

I wish you a great year. Happy Nowruz!

Tahdig Choice for Sabzi Polo ba Mahi

You may create the meal with a saffron layer of Tahdig if that is how you would want. To prepare the rice, just boil it without adding any herbs, strain it, and then combine two cups of rice with a little amount of saffron water (one-fourth teaspoon crushed saffron bloomed in three tablespoons of water).

After adding the oil or butter and mixing the rice until it is well coated, line the bottom of the pan according to the instructions listed below for “Prepare the Tahdig Layer.” After that, press it down and cover the cooked rice with a layer of garlic butter and fresh herbs.

As an alternative, you can have bread or potato tahdig. Simply swap out the rice layer for flatbread or potato pieces.

How to Store Sabzi Polo ba Mahi

After completely cold, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. There will be rice for up to five days. There will be salmon for up to three days. The rice and fish may be reheated in the microwave. Alternately, you might warm the rice in a pot. When reheating rice, don’t forget to add a tablespoon or so of water to rehydrate it. You may alternatively reheat the salmon in a medium-sized oven.

FAQs on Sabzi Polo ba Mahi Recipe

How should the herbs for Sabzi Polo be prepared?

The fresh herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro, and chives) should be cleaned and chopped finely. To save time, you may pulse them in a food processor, but take care not to purée them.

Should I grill the fish rather than fry it?

You can grill the fish, of course. Apply a thin layer of oil on it and cook it over medium heat for around 4–5 minutes on each side, contingent upon thickness.

Can I make Sabzi Polo with dried herbs instead of fresh ones?

Because of their flavor and texture, fresh herbs are best, but if they’re not available, you may use dried herbs. Use around 1/3 of the dried herbs as opposed to the fresh.