Cook fish the way Moroccans do - in a tagine.
The following recipes have been adapted from Sydney restaurateur Hassan M’Souli’s book Moroccan Modern. Available from Taste, for The Love of Cooking.
This dish, with its variety of colours, is a visual feast. It is cooked in a tagine - the Moroccan version of a slow cooking casserole. The large cone shaped lid means that moisture is retained and then drips down and bastes the food resulting in moist and flavoursome dishes.
Serves 4.
Fish tagine
Ingredients
- 4 x 2 inch thick firm fish fillets (try swordfish, dhufish or cod fillets)
- 2 cups of tomato chermoula (see recipe below)
- 1 stick celery
- 1 carrot
- 2 potatoes
- 1 small red capsicum
- 1 small green capsicum
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
- 2 cups of fish stock
- A handful of kalamata olives
- 1 preserved lemon cut into wedges
- 2 roma tomatoes halved and roasted
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
Method
Marinate your fish fillets in the tomato chermoula for at least two hours.
Split the celery in half lengthwise and place slices parallel across the tagine base. This stops food from sticking and burning to the bottom.
Next place the fish fillets over the celery. Next slice the carrot diagonally in 1cm slices. Peel and slice the potatoes in the same fashion. Deseed and remove membranes from capsicums and slice the flesh to be double the thickness of the potatoes. The slices need to be varied accordingly so that they all cook in time.
Alternate the carrot & potato slices around the outer edge of the tagine and on top of the fish. Place the capsicums in alternating colours on top of the whole dish.
Mix the tomato chermoula with the tomato paste and fish stock and whisk until well combined. Pour over the vegetables and the fish, and top with olives and preserved lemon wedges.
Cover with tagine lid and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes.
Serve the fish tagine directly to the table, garnished with tomatoes and sprinkle with fresh coriander.
Tomato Chermoula
Tomato Chermoula is a great accompaniment for seafood dishes.
Ingredients
- 1 tblsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 brown onions diced
- 4 x 400g cans of crushed tomatoes
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- Salt & pepper
Method
Gently heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic and onion until soft. Add the tomatoes, cumin, and lemon juice. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the fresh herbs and remove from heat. Season to taste. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
