A Fish in Every Tagine

My parents gave me a gorgeous Moroccan cookbook called Made in Morocco by Julie Le Clerc and John Bougen that I love to look through as it has really stunning photography. A while ago I made the recipe for Chermoula Fish Tagine (chermoula is a North African marinade) and it was delicious. There was a lot of sauce that was very flavorful but also very watery. I thought if I added some uncooked rice, it would absorb all that flavor. So I made it again with the rice and it worked perfectly.

I don’t have a tagine, but a Dutch oven works very well. The original chermoula recipe calls for either fresch coriander (cilantro) or parsley. Since I dislike cilantro (although I do like ground coriander), I went with parsley but if you happen to like it, that is a traditional option.

The final dish looks very rustic but it is absolutely delicious. And don’t let the longish ingredient list put you off; it’s extremely easy to make. You can whip up the chermoula in seconds in a food processor or blender. Then you just layer everything together, set it on the stove, and it’s done – with no fussing or stirring – in less than an hour.
Chermuola Fish Tagine (4 to 6 servings)

• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced on the diagonal
• 4 celery sticks, thickly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup basmati rice
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 tomatoes, thickly sliced
• 1 lb. boneless cod fillets

1. To make the chermoula, put the parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, ½ tsp. sea salt, lemon juice and zest, and olive oil in a food processor and process until it becomes a thick sauce.
2. Place the carrots and celery in a Dutch oven. Add the water and rice and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes on top and then the fish. Pour the chermoula over the fish.
3. Cover and place over a gentle heat and cook for 45 minutes until fish and rice are cooked and vegetables are tender.