Berbere Fish With Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes

By Ifrah F. Ahmed

Updated March 16, 2026

  • Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
1 hr
Rating
5(96)
Comments
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In this simple and flavorful sheet-pan meal, barramundi (or another firm, white fish) is rubbed with a marinade made with berbere, a traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean spice mix with fenugreek and chile at its core. (As spice blends can vary, do make sure to adjust the amount of berbere in this recipe to your desired spice levels.) Herby Parmesan potatoes and garlicky broccoli florets are all roasted alongside, effortlessly rounding out this delicious weeknight dinner. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the potatoes

  • 1 pound yellow baby potatoes, quartered 

  • 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil 

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • Fine sea salt

  • Grated Parmesan (optional), for serving

For the broccoli

  • 1 ½ pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets

  • 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil 

  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

  • Black pepper, to taste 

For the fish

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon berbere seasoning

  • 3 medium garlic cloves, finely grated

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

  • 1 pound skinless barramundi, cod or other firm white fish fillets

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

    1. Step 1

      Heat the oven to 425 degrees and arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper. 

    2. Step 2

      Prepare the potatoes: In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, olive oil and oregano until coated; season with salt. Spread the potatoes out on one of the sheet pans in an even layer.

    3. Step 3

      In the same large bowl, toss together the broccoli, olive oil and garlic powder; season with salt. Spread evenly on the remaining sheet pan, setting the florets on their cut sides. 

    4. Step 4

      Transfer the potatoes to the bottom rack of the oven and the broccoli to the top rack. Roast, flipping halfway through, until golden brown with crispy edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the potatoes to a plate and top with Parmesan, if using. Cover to keep warm.

    5. Step 5

      While the potatoes and broccoli roast, prepare the marinade for the fish: In the large bowl, mix together the olive oil, berbere seasoning, garlic, cilantro and salt. Turn the fish in the marinade until it is fully coated, and set aside. 

    6. Step 6

      Once the potatoes and broccoli leave the oven, adjust the oven to 400 degrees and roast the fish with its marinade on one of the lined sheet pans for 15 minutes, until the fish is tender and flaky in the center and the marinade is no longer runny. 

    7. Step 7

      Plate the fish with the potatoes and broccoli, and serve right away.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
96 user ratings
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Comments

Richard NYC

Wow, why are people complaining about not being able to find berbere? I have some in my house, bought in an Ethiopian food store in New Jersey, but it’s obviously available online and a Google search would provide substitutes. I made dish last night, while staying away from home, and used smoked paprika and a bit of cayenne (on cod). It was great.

Sarahlinsey

I looked online for a recipe for Berbere and it was easy to mix (used a lot of spices - cardamom, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, ginger, paprika, onion, garlic, fenugreek, and a few others I’m forgetting.) I used much less cayenne than called for based on my spice tolerance but it was very tasty. I cooked the potatoes and broccoli in separate cast iron pans only because that’s normally how I cook. Otherwise followed recipe as directed.

Mimi Minneapolis

This recipe is disappointing. There’s no recipe for the seasoning, no instructions for where to get it, no overview of the qualities of the seasoning (heat? Dominant flavors? Etc). Without this info (or the seasoning!), it’s just a fish, broccoli and potato dinner… no recipe needed for that.

RSB56

We loved this and will make again, but I'm scratching my head over something: There are comments here about the problem of keeping the broccoli and potatoes warm until the fish is done. Why can't the fish be roasting along side the broccoli during the last 15 minutes of roasting the broccoli so that everything comes out of the oven at the same time and piping hot when served? I'd also cut back a bit on the berbere as it overpowered the fish. Not too hot, just too much.

JF

Excellent. Easy. Made Berbere seasoning from scratch. Fish = Hake. Two sheet pans (one with potatoes and one w/ broccoli and fish). Remove items when ready; keep warm if you can. After you have made it once, it's easy to adjust the order of adding items to oven so they all come out the same time.

Ginger's Mom

Apparently I went wrong in lots of places on this recipe. First, I used Penzey's Berbere seasoning and used the full tablespoon - trust me, don't do that! It was EXTREMELY hot. Even for my hubby who loves hot and spicy. Also, my broccoli was burned to a crisp in 25 minutes. Personally, I would par cook the potatoes in the microwave and put both the potatoes and broccoli on one sheet pan in a 350 oven. Potatoes for 30 min, then add the broccoli to the same sheet pan for 20. Fish at 350 too

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