Charmoula For Suspicious Fish Food

CHERMOULA

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients in your K-Mojo DigiMaster's chopper attachment.
• Give the ingredients a blitz. If the mixture is too thick, add a splash of water to loosen it up.
• Use as a marinade for out of this world's lamb chops or as a refreshing sauce with vegetables or grilled fish.

FISH CHERMOULA

Steps:

• Make chermoula:
• In a mortar with a pestle, an electric spice grinder, or a cleaned coffee grinder grind fine coriander seeds, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and saffron. Transfer spice mixture to a small bowl and stir in remaining chermoula ingredients.
• Lightly oil a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold fillets in one layer. Arrange fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper, in dish and top evenly with chermoula. Chill fillets, covered 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large heavy skillet melt butter in water over moderately high heat. Add fennel and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Cook fennel, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes more, and season with salt and pepper.
• While fennel is cooking, bake chilled fish in oven until it just flakes, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Serve each fillet on a bed of fennel and garnish with fennel fronds.

CHARMOULA FOR SUSPICIOUS FISH

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to blend. (I sometimes use the food processor, if I'm feeling lazy. Only issue is that it can over-processed parsley and cilantro.).

GRILLED WHITE FISH WITH CHERMOULA

Steps:

• For the chermoula: Combine the saffron and hot water in a small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to bloom. Heat the canola oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Cook the ancho, coriander, cumin and chile de arbol for 1 minute. Add the saffron and its soaking water. Remove from the heat.
• Whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic-saffron mixture in a medium bowl. Mix in the bell peppers, tomatoes, mint leaves and cilantro. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, or refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• For the grilled white fish: Heat a charcoal grill for direct grilling at medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the halibut with the canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the halibut until golden brown and charred on both sides and cooked to medium or well done, about 10 minutes each side.
• Carefully transfer the halibut to a platter and top with the chermoula immediately. Let the halibut rest for 5 minutes before serving, to allow flavors to sink in.

BROILED FISH WITH CHERMOULA

Steps:

• Season the fish with salt and pepper. In a large baking dish combine the fish with half the chermoula and toss together until the fish is coated. If the chermoula is thick it may be easier to spread it onto the fish with a spatula. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes while you preheat the broiler or prepare a grill.
• If using a broiler, line a sheet pan with foil and brush the foil with olive oil, or oil a shallow baking dish. Place the fish in the pan in a single layer. If desired drizzle on a little more olive oil or lemon juice. Place under the broiler, close to the heat (about 2 1/2 inches below) and broil 5 minutes. Check the fish; the timing depends on how thick the fillets are; figure on 4 to 5 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness. It is done when it is opaque and you can pull it apart with a fork. Using a spatula, transfer the fish from the sheet pan or baking dish to a platter or to individual plates. Tip the juices in the pan over the fish fillets. Pass the remaining chermoula and lemon wedges at the table.

MOROCCAN FISH CHARMOULA

Steps:

• Blend the herbs together in a bowl with the garlic, onion, & olive oil until pasty. Stir in the vinegar, lemon juice & spices.
• Pour the charmoula over the fish you are using & sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Note: There should be enough charmoula to marinate 2 lbs of fish or seafood.
• Broil, bake, or grill the fish once done marinating.

CHARMOULA

Steps:

• Stir cumin in small skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to mortar. Add garlic; pound with pestle until paste forms. Transfer to bowl. Mix in cilantro and next 4 ingredients. Stir in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

HADDOCK IN CHARMOULA SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare fish and vegetables:
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Prick each potato once with a fork, then rub potatoes with 1/2 tablespoon oil. Roast on a baking sheet in middle of oven until just tender, about 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Leave oven on.
• Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté bell peppers, stirring, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Spread potato slices evenly in an oiled 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Top with peppers, then tomatoes and fish, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fish with lemon juice.
• Make charmoula sauce:
• Purée all sauce ingredients except oil in a food processor or blender. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream.
• Bake fish and vegetables:
• Pour sauce evenly over fish and bake in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

CHERMOULA

Steps:

• Pound all ingredients together in a large mortar and pestle or buzz in a food processor. You want a rough-textured paste. Note: I use all the coriander stems.
• Chermoula will keep several days in the fridge.

CLASSIC MOROCCAN CHARMOULA FOR FISH

Steps:

• Whisk ingredients together and marinate white fish fillets (orange roughy works well) for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Bake or grill fish; more sauce can be served with the fish (don't use sauce previously used to marinate raw fish; set some aside in advance).
• Charmoula can also be used to marinate chicken with good results!