Whole fish stuffed with a tangy, herb-forward filling of tamarind, pomegranate, walnuts, and herbs, baked until tender and aromatic.
Mahi shekampor, meaning 'fish with a full belly,' is a Persian preparation for whole fish, particularly popular for Nowruz (Persian New Year) celebrations, where the fish is stuffed with a distinctive filling combining fresh herbs, ground walnuts, and a tart-sweet paste of pomegranate molasses and tamarind. It's a coastal Caspian and Persian Gulf specialty that showcases Iran's love of combining sour, sweet, and herb-forward flavors in a single dish. The technique that defines this dish is building the stuffing to balance tartness and richness: ground walnuts provide body and fat, while pomegranate molasses and tamarind paste bring the distinctive Persian sour note, and a generous amount of fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill) keeps the filling bright rather than heavy. The whole fish is scored, stuffed generously, and either baked or wrapped and steamed, with basting throughout to keep the flesh moist as it cooks. Served whole at the table, especially for Nowruz alongside sabzi polo (herbed rice), mahi shekampor represents Persian New Year's symbolic dishes -- the fish representing life and the herbs representing rebirth -- making it as culturally significant as it is flavorful.
Serves 4
Score the fish 3 times on each side. Rub inside and out with lemon juice and salt. Let sit 15 minutes.
Combine ground walnuts, cilantro, parsley, dill, garlic, pomegranate molasses, tamarind paste, olive oil, and turmeric into a thick, cohesive paste.
Fill the fish cavity generously with the stuffing mixture, packing it in firmly.
Secure the cavity closed with kitchen twine or toothpicks if needed. Place lemon slices on top of the fish.
Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Bake fish on a lined tray for 30-35 minutes, basting with olive oil halfway through, until the fish flakes easily.
Serve whole, spooning some of the stuffing alongside, with herbed rice.
Pack the stuffing in firmly so it holds together and doesn't spill out during baking.
Grind the walnuts finely for a smoother, more cohesive stuffing texture rather than a coarse, crumbly one.
Baste with olive oil partway through baking to keep the exposed skin from drying out.
Use a whole trout or sea bass if a larger Caspian-style fish isn't available.
Add dried barberries to the stuffing for extra tartness and traditional Persian flavor.
Serve with sabzi polo (herbed rice) for the traditional Nowruz pairing.
Best eaten fresh the day it's made. Leftovers keep refrigerated up to 2 days; reheat gently in a low oven to avoid drying out the fish.
Mahi shekampor is closely associated with Nowruz, the Persian New Year, when smoked or fried whole fish with herbed rice (sabzi polo mahi) is a symbolic dish representing life and renewal, and this stuffed variation showcases the same seasonal, herb-and-tart flavor profile.
The stuffed presentation relies on a whole fish's cavity; for fillets, you could instead spread the stuffing mixture between two fillets or serve it as a sauce alongside baked fish.
The cavity wasn't packed firmly enough or secured properly. Pack the stuffing in tightly and use kitchen twine or toothpicks to help hold the cavity closed.
Increase the pomegranate molasses slightly and add a squeeze of extra lemon juice to approximate the tartness, though the specific tamarind flavor won't be fully replicated.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 4 servings total
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