Fish Stew (Moroccan Tagine)

This is a simple dish to make with a lot of flavor. Any of these firm white-fleshed fish can be used in this tagine; sea bass, stripped bass, red snapper, porgy, halibut, cod, haddock, or pollack. I adjusted the amount of lemon juice in this recipe after the reviews said it was too much. Thanks for the great input.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• Charmoula

• 1⁄4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 3 -4  medium garlic cloves
• 2  tablespoons white vinegar
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• 1  teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  coriander
• 1  pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

• Tagine

• 2  lbs  firm  white fish fillets
• 3 -4  carrots
• 2  potatoes
• 2  ripe tomatoes
• 2  sweet green peppers
• 2  medium garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1⁄2 cup water

Directions

1. Charmoula:
2. Blend the herbs together in a bowl with the garlic & vinegar until pasty. Stir in the lemon juice & spices.
3. Tagine:
4. Cut the fish into 2 inch pieces. Rub each piece with the charmoula & then place into the bowl to marinate (at least 30 minutes).
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
6. Slice the carrots in half down the middle. Peel the potatoes & slice thinly. Slice the tomatoes crosswise. Remove the seeds from the peppers & slice into large pieces. Set aside --
7. Place the carrots across the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan (fat end, skinny end, fat end, etc). This becomes a sort of bed for the fish, keeping it from sticking to the bottom & assuring that there is always sauce underneath to give it flavor.
8. Arrange the fish on top of the carrots. Dip the sliced potatoes into the charmoula & spread over the fish. Repeat with tomatoes & peppers. Sprinkle the garlic over the vegetables.
9. Mix the remaining charmoula with the tomato paste, lemon juice, oil, & water. Pour this over the vegetables.
10. Cover with aluminum foil & bake 35 minutes. Remove the cover. Raise the oven heat to the highest setting & move the pan to the uppermost shelf of the oven. Bake additional 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked & a nice crust has formed over the vegetables.
11. Serve warm, not hot.