Parsi-style fish packets with spicy mint chutney. Lauren Bulbin/The Washington Post
It wasn’t until she began researching recipes to include in her cookbook, "Pakistan,” that Maryam Jillani came across this dish of plump white fish, with each piece steamed in a packet under a blanket of green, coconut-scented chutney. It’s a Parsi dish.
"Since I grew up in Islamabad, I didn’t grow up around the Parsi community,” Jillani told me. Parsis, who practice Zoroastrianism, migrated from Persia to the Indian subcontinent between the 8th and 10th centuries. Most of their dwindling population resides in Mumbai and Gujarat, India, but, as Jillani writes, a small community settled in Karachi, Pakistan, in the late 1840s.
Today, Karachi is home to some 20 million people. It’s a massive hub of locals and migrants from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran and beyond. Though fewer than 1,000 Parsis still live in Pakistan, their culture is well-documented and their food is well-liked.
"When I started talking to people about recipes to include [in the book] from the Parsi community, so many people told me I had to include this dish. It’s beloved even among outsiders,” Jillani said.
So she went to one of the best-known Parsi chefs in the country, Zarnak Sidhwa, to learn how to make it. A banker turned chocolatier, Sidhwa has been a fixture on Pakistan’s food channel, Hum Masala (better known as Masala TV), for more than a decade. She cooks such things as sweets, street food specialities and Western-style dishes, but her niche has always been Parsi cuisine.
"Before we started cooking, she walked me through the four tenets of Parsi cuisine,” Jillani said. "Sweet, bitter, sour and mild.”
It’s easy to see how those elements come together in this fish dish. A teaspoon of sugar in the chutney brings out the sweetness of the dried coconut flakes. Ground turmeric and raw garlic add a subtle bitter edge alongside sour lemon juice. Finally, the recipe calls for a mild white fish, such as cod, bass or halibut. It anchors the other, more lively elements.
The original recipe called for the chutney-topped fish to be wrapped in banana leaves before cooking. As the fish steams inside the packets, the leaves give off a vegetal base flavor and scent. In this adaptation, we’re substituting aluminum foil - a swap that Sidhwa approved - which is easier to find. But if you can find banana leaves, fresh or frozen and defrosted, wrap the fish in those, using toothpicks to hold everything in place.
"It’s one of those dishes that looks very fancy, and it’s very beautiful, but it’s straightforward to prepare,” Jillani said, noting that, at the cookbook photo shoot, it was the dish that everyone couldn’t wait to make again in their own kitchens. They chatted about adapting it to use other herbs, chiles, aromatics and fish. I hope you’ll consider making it as Jillani and Sidhwa do, then try making it your own.
Parsi-Style Fish Packets With Spicy Mint Chutney
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes.
Servings: 4
Firm white fish fillets are infused with the flavors of coconut, chile, mint and cilantro in these Parsi-style fish packets. In her cookbook, "Pakistan,” Maryam Jillani notes that this dish is "beloved among the Parsi community across India and Pakistan.” In the original recipe, the fish is wrapped in banana leaves, which add a lovely, floral flavor; here, we've substituted aluminum foil for ease. If you can find banana leaves, fresh or frozen and defrosted, wrap the fish in those, using toothpicks to hold everything in place. Serve the fish with rice, plain yogurt, greens or vegetables (fresh, cooked or pickled) for a full meal.
Make ahead: The fish can be dressed and refrigerated for up to 4 hours before wrapping in foil and cooking. Because the chutney is acidic, we do not recommend leaving the fish in the foil for longer than 15 minutes.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
INGREDIENTS
4 firm white fish fillets (1 to 1 1/4 pounds total), such as bass, cod or halibut, defrosted, if frozen; and deboned, skinned and patted dry
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 fresh bird’s eye chile
1 cup (1/2 ounce) fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup (1/4 ounce) fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
1/4 cup (scant 1 ounce) desiccated coconut or other unsweetened dried coconut flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Cooked rice, plain yogurt, greens or vegetables (fresh, cooked or pickled), for serving
DIRECTIONS
To cook in the oven: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
To cook on a grill: Prepare the grill for direct heat. If using a gas grill, set half of the grill to 450 degrees. If using a charcoal grill, fill a chimney starter with charcoal, light it, and when the coals are white-gray with ash, pour them onto the charcoal grate, adding more charcoal, if necessary. Put the lid on the grill, making sure the vents are fully open. When all of the coals are gray and hot, after about 15 minutes, your grill should be at medium-high heat. Push the coals to one side of the grill cooking area. (Use a grill thermometer, or test the heat by holding your hand, palm down, about 4 inches from the grate, making sure that nothing flammable, such as clothing, is near the heat. If you can hold it there for about 4 seconds, the heat should be at medium-high, or about 450 degrees. Pull your hand away from the heat before it gets painful.) Make sure the cooking grates are clean.
Cut four roughly 12-inch square pieces of foil and lay them on a work surface. Have a large sheet pan ready.
Season the fish fillets on both sides with the salt and turmeric.
In a small blender or food processor, combine the garlic, chile, mint, cilantro, lemon juice, desiccated coconut, cumin seeds and sugar. Blend or pulse until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the pitcher or bowl as needed. You should have about 1/2 cup of chutney.
Spread 2 tablespoons of chutney on top of each fish fillet. Place each fillet on one side of a piece of foil, then fold the other side up and over. Crimp the edges together so that the fillet is completely enclosed. Transfer the packets to the sheet pan.
If cooking in the oven: Place the sheet pan with the fish packets in the oven and cook for until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes.
If cooking on a grill: Transfer the fish packets to the cool side of the grill and cook, rotating the packets once so they cook evenly, until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer the contents of each foil packet to a plate, and serve hot, with rice, yogurt, greens or vegetables on the side.
Substitutions:
White fish >> salmon or shrimp, with an adjustment to the cooking time.
Fish >> thin fillets of chicken or slabs of tofu.
Cilantro >> parsley or use more mint.
Mint >> use more cilantro or another tender herb such as parsley or tarragon.
Dried or desiccated coconut flakes >> fresh coconut meat or omit.
Lemon juice >> lime juice.
Turmeric >> a pinch of crushed saffron or skip it.
Bird’s eye chile >> serrano, Fresno or another small hot chile.
If you dislike heat >> omit the chile.
Nutritional Facts per serving (1 fillet and 2 tablespoons chutney) | Calories: 148, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Carbohydrates: 6 g, Sodium: 373 mg, Cholesterol: 56 mg, Protein: 22 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
Adapted from "Pakistan” by Maryam Jillani (Hardie Grant, 2025).
