Nuno Zafaran
Matay de Mayee
From The Oldest Kitchen by Matay de Mayee. This saffron fish dish is inspired by the Dyrul Zafaran monastery in Tur Abdin, where the author’s parents grew up. Just a small amount of saffron gives the fish its distinctive flavor and color.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (10 ½ oz/300 g) frozen peas
- boiling water (enough to cover the peas)
- 1 cup (250 ml) fish stock
- 1 ½ pinches (30 threads) saffron
- 6 (6-oz/170g) fillets whitefish, like cod, branzino, or dorade
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ⅔ cup (150 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ bunch mint leaves, coarsely chopped
- ½ bunch dill, finely chopped
- Cooked rice, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Place the frozen peas in a pot and cover them with boiling water. Let them sit for 3 minutes, and then drain.
In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer the fish stock until reduced to about ⅔ cup (150 ml). Add the saffron and stir for 2 minutes or until it is fully steeped. Turn off the heat and set the pot aside.
Generously season both sides of the fish fillets with salt and pepper and place them in an oven dish. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
While the fish cooks, prepare the sauce: Warm up the reduced saffron fish stock over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and add heavy cream, peas, mint, and dill, stirring for 2 minutes. Be careful not to let the sauce boil.
Turn off the heat and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the fish from the oven and pour the sauce over it. Serve with rice.