Fish Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Mint

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

This recipe had the bones to be wonderful but unfortunately, the end result did not appeal to our taste buds. We have never eaten a dish with preserved lemons and we are now certain that it is not one of our preferred flavors. There are several components of the dish that would be lovely on their own but the final combination of flavors and textures were less than desirable for our palates. If you are a big fan of preserved lemon, this dish would be perfect. Otherwise, I recommend skipping the recipe or preparing it sans preserved lemon.

The chermoula itself was delicious. The combination of garlic, red chile, cumin, saffron and cilantro was vibrant and perfectly tangy. When I completed the chermoula, I was just sure this dish was going to be heavenly. In retrospect, I wish I had cooked the fish by itself after it was done marinating in the chermoula. The other component of the dish that was wonderful was the texture of the fish. I used Wild Caught Alaskan Ling Cod that had the creamiest texture. I purchased the fish at Metropolitan Market at the recommendation of one of their seafood specialists. I also consulted the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list to make sure this cod was a responsible choice. Weren't these beautiful pieces of fish? The first photo shows the fillets and the second photo shows chunks marinating in the chermoula.

Photos Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh fish fillets, such as cod, cut into large chunks

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 preserved lemon, finely chopped

1 14 oz can plum tomatoes in juice

2/3 cup fish stock or water

2/3 cup white wine or fino sherry

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

bunch fresh mint leaves, finely shredded

chermoula-

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 red chile, seeded and chopped

1 tsp sea salt

small bunch cilantro

pinch saffron threads

1-2 tsp ground cumin

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

First, make chermoula. Using mortar and pestle, pound garlic and chile with salt to form paste. Add cilantro leaves and pound to coarse paste. Beat in saffron threads and cumin and bind with olive oil and lemon juice (you can mix all ingredients together in electric blender if you prefer). Reserve 2 teaspoons of mixture for cooking. Toss fish chunks in remaining chermoula, cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Heat oil in tagine or heavy based casserole dish. Stir in onion, carrots and celery and saute until softened. Add preserved lemon (reserving a little for sprinkling) with reserved 2 teaspoons chermoula and tomatoes. Stir in well. Cook gently for about 10 minutes to reduce liquid, then add stock and wine. Bring liquid to a boil, cover tagine, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Toss fish in tagine, cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, until fish is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with preserved lemon and shredded mint leaves. Serve immediately. I served the tagine with a side of couscous, as recommended.

On a positive note, it was really fun to cook in a tagine. I am including a photo below for those of you that are not familiar with this cooking vessel. A tagine is a Moroccan earthenware pot that consists of a heavy base with low sides and a large, cone-shaped lid that rests inside the base. The lid is designed to return condensation to the bottom of the pot. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving. Even though this dish didn't turn out to my liking, I did enjoy preparing and cooking the ingredients. That's half the battle, right?

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy