Grilled Saboor Fish with Tamarind + Cilantro Stuffing

In Iran, saboor/shabout is especially popular where the Persian Gulf meets Arvand Rud at the confluence of the Euphrates and the Tigris. The mature fish swims from the ocean back up to the fresh water rivers to spawn. Hamid Dabashi, who grew up in Ahwaz, told me his mother would give him a prepared dish of uncooked saboors to take to the baker to cook in a wood-burning oven. Hamid still remembers the intoxicating aroma of the tamarind and herbs as the fish baked, and the story his mother to