Fish tagine with preserved lemon and mint
4
1 hr 5 mins
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The fish tagines of coastal Morocco are often made with whole fish, or with large chunks of fleshy fish such as sea bass, monkfish and cod. The fish is first marinated in the classic chermoula flavouring, and the dish is given an additional fillip with white wine of sherry. Serve with new potatoes and a leafy salad.
Ingredients
900
g
fresh fish fillets , cut into large chunks , such as cod or haddock
2-3
tbsp
olive oil
1
red onion , finely chopped
2
carrots , finely chopped
2
sticks
celery , finely chopped
1
preserved lemon , finely chopped
1 x 400 g can
of plum tomatoes with their juice
150
ml
cup fish stock or water
150
ml
white wine or fino sherry
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
bunch
of fresh mint leaves , finely shredded
For the chermoula
2-3
cloves
garlic , chopped
1
red chilli , deseeded and chopped
1
teaspoon
sea salt
small bunch
of fresh coriander
pinch
of saffron threads
1-2
tsp
ground cumin
3-4
tbsp
olive oil
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
First, make the chermoula. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chilli with the sea salt to form a paste. Add the coriander leaves and pound to a coarse paste. Beat in the saffron threads and cumin and bind well with the olive oil and lemon juice (you can whizz all the ingredients together in an electric blender, if you prefer). Reserve 2 tsp of the mixture for cooking. Toss the fish chunks in the remaining chermoula, cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours
Heat the oil in a tagine or a heavy-based casserole. Stir in the onion , carrots and celery and saute until softened. Add the preserved lemon (reserving a little for sprinkling) with the reserved 2 tsp of chermoula and the tomatoes and stir in well. Cook gently for about 10 minutesstock and the wine or sherry . Bring the liquid to the boil, cover the tagine, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes
Toss the fish chunks in the the tagine, cover and cook gently for 6-8 minutespreserved lemon and the shredded mint leaves and serve immediately.
The Modern Tagine Cookbook
