When we developed our Moroccan Tagine spice blend, we had in mind a dry version of chermoula, a delicious, aromatic Moroccan herb sauce made with fresh herbs, garlic, lemon and spices.
Chermoula can be used to marinate fish or meat for tagines, aromatic slow-cooked stews traditionally prepared in Morocco in a tagine, the signature ceramic or clay cooking dish with a conical lid.
Our blend combines paprika, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne and a hint of caraway plus sweet notes from cinnamon and a bright pop of lemon, mint and parsley.
It's delicious sprinkled directly on fish or chicken, whisked with olive oil into a marinade or stirred into a stewy tomato-based sauce.
I have yet to acquire a tagine (the ceramic pot). Our kitchen is small and any large cooking implement has to really be a workhorse to make the cut! But luckily most of the same results of a tagine can be achieved with a heavy duty cast iron or Dutch oven and a lid.
A tagine typically includes marinated meat or seafood gently cooked on a base of vegetables. The stews tend to be heavy on the onions and are generously spiced.
While lamb or chicken-based tagines tend to include sweet elements, such as dried fruit, fish tagines skew more to the savory notes, sometimes with the tangy addition of preserved lemon.
According to Jeff Koehler, author of Morocco, a fish tagine from the country's Atlantic coastline might include monkfish, bream, swordfish, eel, or blue shark.
We used snapper for this recipe, but any white fish of your choice would work. Also, be sure to dice the potatoes very small to ensure they become tender.
Moroccan Tagine-Inspired Fish Stew
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lb red snapper filets, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons Moroccan Tagine, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 onions, thinly sliced
flake salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 14.5-oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups seafood or vegetable stock
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
½ cup pitted green olives
Juice and zest of one lemon OR one preserved lemon, seeds removed, chopped
3/4 lb baby red potatoes, diced very small
For serving:
¼ cup torn cilantro leaves
Lemon wedges
Crusty bread
Directions:
Salt the fish on both sides. In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons Moroccan Tagine. Spread the mixture onto each fish fillet with a spatula. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
In a heavy cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions, 2 teaspoons flake salt and 1 tablespoon Moroccan Tagine for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, stock, olives, lemon zest and lemon juice (or preserved lemon if using) and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Add potatoes and peppers, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Arrange the fish fillets on the vegetables and cook partially covered for 4-6 more minutes or until the fish is just cooked. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with lemon wedges and toasty bread or steamed rice.
Switched out the olives for capers and went half and half with potatoes and cauliflower. Also added some white beans and kale. Turned out great. The acidity was a bit much but a 1/4 tsp of baking soda added at the end balanced it out. Flavors are outstanding :)
It is also a great rub for fish cooked in parchment paper with orang and olives.
This was a great recipe. I didn’t have the Tagine spice blend but used your Omani black lemon—I left out some of the lemon called for in the recipe. Will have to try the Tagine blend soon!
I received “Moroccan Fish Tagine” spice blend for a Christmas gift along with the recipe. I made it tonight and Oh Yum. It is very interesting and I like it. I would love to browse your shop when such things are allowed again.
This recipe is outrageously good!! The spice blend and quantity are perfect. I feel like a professional chef!
I had the opportunity to travel Abroad and had the pleasure to go to the Markets to experience new spices and flavors would love to check out your spices I am from the Bay area but live in Arizona I will make a point to come visit I am also working on my spices line with my Catering Business Ifegourmet .
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LaurieAnn Lepoff
February 21, 2022
We were looking for a bouillabaisse spice mix, which they didn’t have, so we decided to try this instead for our anniversary dinner. It was so good we made it again with chicken for our first “because now we can” small dinner party. We eat a lot of veggies, so we added a bunch more vegitable variety to both dishes and it was a huge hit both times. This one is a winner!