Morocco: Moroccan Fish

Sarah Elbaz                                                                            

Moroccan Fish

The Moroccan coast is filled with beaches and many fish and types of seafood can be found there. It is no wonder that fish and seafood play a big part in the Moroccan cuisine. Moroccan cuisine is filled with very rich flavours and spices. Since the weather is warm in Northern Africa many spices grow there and they were incorporated into the cuisine. Cumin, Paprika and Saffron are some of the spices used very often in this cuisine and in this recipe as well. Moroccan spices are like no other which is why we still get spices shipped to us from my uncle in Casablanca.  Lemons also grew in abundance because of the climate and my mother remembers picking fresh lemons from her yard and using them in many dishes. Pickling vegetables and using them in recipes or appetizers was also a frequent practice. Every Friday night my mother lights candles as we welcome the Shabbat in-to our home. My family and I sit down to a beautifully set table and enjoy a large meal with many courses. Fish is served and eaten at this meal because it symbolizes fertility and abundance. There are many variations of this recipe since every household likes it differently. My mother makes the following recipe without cayenne pepper which I prefer in order to savour the taste of the fish and spices. This recipe is something to look forward to week after week!

THE RECIPE

·         Ingredients

• 1 fillet of Salmon or Halibut skinned and cut into slices
• 3 Coloured Peppers chopped into strips
• 2 Marinated lemons chopped into pieces
• 8 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• ¼ cup oil
• ½ cup water
• 1 tbsp paprika
• Fresh cilantro

·         Procedure:

1.      Heat oil on medium heat in a pan. When hot add garlic until fragrant. Add peppers and marinated lemons. Stir fry for about 5 minutes.

2.      Add cumin, paprika, salt and peppers to pan and stir.

3.      Add water to pan. Let boil then place the slices of fish on top the vegetable mixture.

4.      Add cilantro on top of the fish. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes. Add salt to taste.