Roasted Black Bass with Orange-Flower Water

While the fish eaten during Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is usually smoked whitefish or fried fish with sour oranges, when Andy Baraghani was growing up, his mom went rogue and baked salmon with turmeric, saffron, garlic, dill, and lime juice. “As my mother’s son,” writes Andy, “I also went a little rogue with my recipe: a whole black sea bass (you can use whatever white flaky fish you like), that gets butterflied and stuffed with a spicy garlicky herb mixture before being roasted.” The fish represents life and, when served alongside herbed rice like Andy’s Herb Rice with Green Garlic, Saffron, and Crispy Shallots, is believed to bring good luck. Read more about throwing a Persian New Year feast here.