Slow-Cooked Fish With Citrus and Herbs Recipe • 5★

Updated March 17, 2025

Emma Fishman for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.

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.

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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

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

Step 1Heat 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.

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.

Step 2Cut the leeks in half lengthwise then coarsely chop. Give the leeks a good rinse to get rid of any dirt or sand.

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

Step 3Heat 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.

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.

Step 4Generously 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.

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.

Step 5Bake 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.

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.

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.

@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.

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!!

I made this last night based on all the rave reviews. It was quite good, but compared to the comments, for me a bit disappointing. The only change I made was I cut back on the saffron per a comment (I went with half a teaspoon of saffrong.)

Will try it again with the full teaspoon.

So delicious! And easy to make. I love dishes that are finished in the oven. it is sure to become a frequent rotation. Both my husband and son had seconds. The way the citrus caramelizes is delicious! And, the whole fruit becomes edible, the rinds too! Because of that, I'm glad I used organically grown citrus. I did add about a tablespoon of brown sugar at the end b/c it was slightly bitter.

I’ve made this twice (salmon and cod) with high hopes. No one in the household was impressed. Recipe followed to a T, but it just did not sparkle with flavor. And a 2.5 slab of salmon, plus saffron, is not cheap.

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026639-slow-cooked-fish-with-citrus-and-herbs