Slow-Cooked Fish With Citrus and Herbs 

By Andy Baraghani

Updated March 17, 2025

  • Emma Fishman for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(1,738)
Comments
Read comments

During Nowruz, the Persian New Year, it’s customary to serve fish alongside sabzi polo, buttery herbed saffron rice, as a nod to renewal and prosperity. Traditionally, white fish is smoked or fried, but this dish brings in many of the same key ingredients — fragrant saffron, fresh herbs and citrus — while embracing a more effortless, slow-roasted approach. A flaky white fish like cod or halibut works beautifully here, but salmon also works and tastes especially luxurious when bathed in olive oil, garlic and dill.

Featured in: 5 Herby, Bright and Brilliant Recipes for Nowruz

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 servings 

  • 1 teaspoon saffron threads 

  • 3 medium leeks, trimmed 

  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil 

  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

  • 1 lemon (preferably Meyer), very thinly sliced into rounds, seeds picked out 

  • 1 clementine or mandarin orange, very thinly sliced, seeds picked out 

  • Salt 

  • 2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless halibut, cod or salmon, preferably one large center-cut piece

  • ½ cup coarsely chopped dill or tarragon or a combination 

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

9 grams carbs; 93 milligrams cholesterol; 450 calories; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 658 milligrams sodium; 36 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Crush the saffron threads into a fine powder in a mortar and pestle. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a spoon to crush it as finely as you can.) Dump out the ground saffron into a small bowl and pour 3 tablespoons of warm water over it. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Cut the leeks in half lengthwise then coarsely chop. Give the leeks a good rinse to get rid of any dirt or sand.

  3. Step 3

    Heat ¼ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and all citrus slices, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic and citrus have softened and everything smells very delicious, 2 to 3 minutes. Slide the skillet off the heat and scoop out half the leek mixture into a small bowl.

  4. Step 4

    Generously season the fish with salt on all sides and place in the center of the skillet over the leeks. Pour the saffron water over and around the fish, then top with the remaining leek mixture. Scatter the dill all over and pour in the remaining ½ cup oil. Transfer the skillet to the oven.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until the fish is opaque and easily flakes off with a fork around the thickest part, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve as is in the skillet or use two forks to tear the fish into large pieces and transfer to a platter. Spoon all the leeks, citrus and fat over, taste and season with more salt if needed, and serve.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,738 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Michael UWS

Everyone just STOP. This is the best dish I have ever made from NYT cooking. I did reduce the amount of saffron a bit: it felt more like a flirt than persistence. In this very unclear national and global moment, this dish provided my family with a quiet assurance that, with a little effort, joy and gratitude can be found. Fragrant, copious, and nourishing: there is the possibility of a brighter tomorrow. My husband said he’d pay $50 for this dish in a city restaurant. It’s that good.

Nanette

@Michael UWS You wrote this last year, and here we are. I have chills reading your words. I’m not Persian. I’m Jewish. We will make this dish for Nowruz and likely again next month for Passover. Hoping for a better future for us all.

Erin in Napa

This is one of my favorite recipes from NYT Cooking and I do not say that lightly. I used a large piece of salmon and followed the instructions exactly. It was so easy to prepare and is completely delicious! I wanted something to soak up the delicious oil and flavors so I prepared skinny egg pasta and tossed the pasta with the oil from the pan and then set the salmon on top. Can’t wait to have this again!!

Mandy Leigh

I decided to make this dish today as part of my weekly meal plan. Upon reading the comments regarding the bitterness, I did a little research and decided to remove the citrus slices from the skillet immediately after removing from the heat. Because the citrus already cooked with the leeks and garlic, it wasn’t necessary to keep them in the skillet from then on. I also have a gas stove, so instead of cooking the leeks and garlic over medium heat, I cooked them on medium-low. I also stirred the leeks continuously instead of occasionally in order to keep them from browning. Depending on the fish itself, 25-30 minutes in the oven may definitely overcook it. I’d say to start checking around 15 minutes or so and go from there. Do not season the fish with salt “generously”. Overdoing it with salt can ruin it. My advice is to salt normally because you can always add salt later on.

Lori

So so so bitter! Not sure what I did wrong. I thought I followed the recipe. Hardly edible.

Mijo

Replace saffron with 1/2 tsp turmeric and cook longer if needed.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.