Fish, potatoes, tomatoes and roasted peppers are layered in this classic Moroccan mqualli tagine. Mqualli is a general term used to refer to sauces made with ginger, saffron and oil. In this recipe, chermoula, olives and preserved lemons add zest and flavor.
Any firm, thick fish can be used – cut up or whole – but I like this tagine best with slices of eel because there are fewer bones to deal with at the table. Swordfish steaks, dorado, large whole whiting and sea bream are other good choices.
In addition to the ingredients below, you'll need to make Chermoula. Allow 2 hours for the fish to marinate.
Serves 4.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 kg fish or eel - whole, in pieces, or in thick slices or steaks
- Chermoula (see link above)
- 1 large onion, cut into rings
- 1 carrot or celery stalk, cut into thin sticks
- 2 large potatoes, cut into thin slices
- 3 tomatoes, seeded and cut into thin slices
- 2 bell peppers, any color - roasted, peeled and cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
- 1 preserved lemon, quartered or 1 fresh lemon, cut into thin slices
- handful of red olives
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Preparation:
Ahead of Time:
Make the Chermoula. Reserve half of the chermoula, and mix the remaining half with the fish. Cover the fish, refrigerate it, and allow it marinate at least two hours or overnight.
Roast the peppers, peel and seed them, and cut them into strips.
To Make the Tagine:
Pour the olive oil into a tagine, and distribute the onion slices across the bottom. Criss-cross the celery or carrot sticks in the center to form a bed for the fish.
Mix the potato slices with the spices, and arrange the potatoes around the perimeter of the tagine. Top the potato with the tomato slices, and distribute the reserved chermoula over the vegetables.
Add the fish and its marinade to the center of the tagine, and arrange the strips of pepper on top of the fish in a decorative manner. Garnish the tagine with the lemon and olives, and sprinkle salt and pepper over all.
Cover the tagine, and cook over low to medium-low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the fish and potatoes test done. Reduce the sauce if necessary until it is quite thick and mostly oils.
