Explore the world · Recipe · Maghreb · Reference page
Moroccan fish tagine with chermoula
tajine de poisson à la chermoula / tagine l'hout
Firm fish marinated in chermoula, a paste of coriander, garlic, cumin, paprika and lemon, then cooked slowly in a tagine on a bed of onion, carrot, potato and tomato with peppers, olives and preserved lemon. Recipe by Christine Benlafquih of Taste of Maroc.
- Servings
- 6
- Preparation
- 30 min
- Cooking
- 1 h 15
- Resting
- 2 h
- Total
- 3 h 45
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Equipment
- Large tagine with a heat diffuser, or a deep frying pan with a lid
- Bowl for marinating
Ingredients
The chermoula
The tagine
Method
Mix all the chermoula ingredients. If very thick, loosen with a little oil, lemon juice or water.
Keep half the chermoula, covered, in the fridge. Coat the fish with the other half and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Timer · 2 h120:00Pour the olive oil into the tagine and cover the base with the onion. Lay the carrots over the onion and the potatoes over the carrots, and season with the ginger, salt, pepper and turmeric.
Why The vegetable bed keeps the fish off the hot base and gives the liquid for the sauce.
Lay the tomato slices on top and spread the reserved chermoula over them. Add the fish and its marinade, then the pepper strips, chilli and lemon slices, and the olives around the edge.
Add the water, cover and set over a medium-low heat (on a diffuser unless on gas). Let it come slowly to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour, until the fish and vegetables are done and the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.
Timer · 1 h60:00Add the preserved lemon, if using, let it heat through for a few minutes, and serve from the tagine.
To drink & serve with
- Khobz (Arab pocket bread)
Editorial suggestion: Moroccan bread to mop up the sauce.
Substitutions
- Meagre or sea bass → Any firm, thick fish; Benlafquih also mentions whole sardines, whole whiting and conger eel.
- Tagine → A deep frying pan with a tight lid.
Common mistakes
- Thick potato slices: the fish overcooks before they are tender.
- Bringing the clay tagine to a simmer too fast: it can crack. Heat it slowly.
Storage & reheating
Refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 2 days; reheat gently until steaming hot.
Safety
Contains fish. Marinate in the fridge, not at room temperature, and cook until the fish is opaque and flakes (63 °C, US FDA).
Allergens
Fish
Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.
Dietary
gluten-free · dairy-free
Chermoula twice
Christine Benlafquih of Taste of Maroc writes that in Morocco this tagine is made with meagre, sea bass, sea bream or another firm, thick fish, and also with whole sardines, whiting or conger eel, which is fatty but has few bones. Its flavour comes from chermoula, the coriander, garlic, cumin, paprika and lemon marinade of Moroccan fish cookery, used twice: half to marinate the fish, half spread over the vegetables.
The tagine is built in layers, onion, carrot, potato, tomato, then the fish with peppers, lemon and olives, and cooked slowly with very little water until the juices reduce to a thick sauce.
How it connects
Place
- origin Maghreb In preparation
Recipe
- pairs with Khobz (Arab pocket bread)
