The Best Moroccan Fish Food

THE BEST MOROCCAN FISH

Steps:

• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pot, add the chopped garlic and fry on medium heat until the garlic turns golden. Add the tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir. Add the red pepper and the spicy green chili pepper. If you want it to be very spicy, add the seeds. Without the seeds, it will only have a slight kick. Stir and fry for 2 more minutes. Add the whole garlic cloves and the water. Stir to scrape up the delicious caramelized flavor from the bottom of the pot. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. In a mixing bowl, add ⅓ cup olive oil, turmeric and paprika. Mix. Dip the fish fillets into the mixture and coat on all sides. Add the fish to the pot, then pour the rest of the mixture into the pot. Squeeze the juice of ½ lemon, then place the slices of the rest of the lemon on top of the fish. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro and serve hot with a scoop of the sauce.

MOROCCAN FISH TAGINE

Steps:

• Heat the tagine. Set the tagine on a low heat until warm; once the tagine is warm, increase the heat to a medium-high. If you're not using a tagine pot, skip the warm-up on low and heat your pot at medium-high.
• Sauté onions & peppers. Coat the tagine with a generous amount of olive oil (about 2 tbsp or more). Add in the onions, sauté until translucence, then add the bell peppers. Cover the tagine and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add spices, tomatoes, garlic & harissa. Once the bell peppers have begun to soften, add in the spices and stir to coat the peppers and bloom the flavours. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Cover the tagine and simmer for 3-4 minutes ⏤ if the tomatoes are really dry, add 2 tbsp of water from your water cup.
• Toss in the chickpeas, bouillon powder, & water. Open the lid, add the chickpeas and bouillon powder and give everything a good stir. Pour the water over the mixture and cover the tagine for 10 minutes.
• Time for cilantro & fish. Remove the lid and taste the sauce; you may wish to adjust the salt at this point. I don't usually add any salt to the dish since the bouillon powder is pretty salty already, but it's a good time to check. Stir in the cilantro, then place the fish on top of the sauce. Cover the tagine, and simmer for 7 minutes.
• Braise, Simmer & Cover. Now the fish has been cooking for 7 minutes and is becoming soft. Scoop some of the sauce on top of the fish and move the chickpeas to the side so the fish can be submerged into the sauce. Cover and continue cooking for 4 minutes
• Serve and enjoy.

MOROCCAN SEAFOOD BASTILLA RECIPE

Steps:

• If starting with raw shrimp in the shell, allow time for cleaning it. Remove the shell, head, tail, and legs from the shrimp. Deveining the shrimp is optional but I always do it. Wash the cleaned shrimp and drain thoroughly. The cleaned shrimp can be covered and refrigerated for up to a day until needed.
• In a small saucepan or pot, combine the grated tomato, garlic, parsley, oil and salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low to medium heat until a thick sauce forms, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the hot sauce and soy sauce. Set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the shrimp. Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and saute for 1 or 2 minutes, just until the shrimp is white and cooked through. Drain and reserve the liquids and set the shrimp aside.
• In the same skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the swordfish steak. Season generously with salt and pepper and cook, turning several times, until the fish is cooked and flakes easily. Drain and reserve the liquids. Break the fish off the bone into bite-size pieces, discarding any skin, and set aside.
• In a skillet with a lid, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the calamari and season with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cover and braise the calamari in the butter and its own juices for 30 minutes or longer, until the calamari is very tender. Add a tiny bit of water during cooking only if the liquids evaporate before the squid is cooked.When the calamari is cooked, drain and reserve the liquids and set the calamari aside.
• Soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of cold water for 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop the mushrooms.
• At the same time, soak the Chinese vermicelli in a large bowl of cold water for about 15 to 20 minutes, until tender enough to cut but not fully plumped. Drain and chop into 2" to 3" strands.
• Transfer the chopped rice vermicelli to the pot with the tomato sauce. Add the reserved liquids from cooking the fish and seafood and stir to combine. (I find tongs the easiest to use for this.)
• Simmer gently over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the vermicelli is tender and most of the liquids have been absorbed. Remove from the heat.
• Transfer the Chinese vermicelli to a very large bowl. Add the shrimp, calamari, fish and chopped mushrooms. Stir gently to combine.
• Taste for seasoning. The filling should be quite flavorful and zesty, a bit salty and spicy to the tongue. Adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce and/or hot sauce as desired. Note that some versions of seafood bastilla have a lot of heat due to hearty additions of hot sauce. Use your own palate as your guide.
• Working on parchment paper or aluminum foil allows for easy transfer of the bastilla once it's assembled. Overlap sheets of parchment paper or foil to create a large work surface of about 17"x 17".
• Brush the paper or foil with melted butter and then a little vegetable oil. Overlap sheets of warqa pastry, shiny side down, to fully cover this area. Allow the pastry sheets to drape well beyond the edge of your work area.
• Brush the pastry leaves with melted butter and add a single 12" round layer of warqa, shiny side down, to the center. Brush it with melted butter. This center circle serves as your guide and base for the bastilla.
• Place the seafood filling on the circular base, packing and shaping the filling to fit the 12" round. Drizzle melted butter over the filling then top with the grated cheese (if using).
• Gather the excess pastry up and around the filling, enclosing as much of it as you can. Try to maintain a nice circular shape with smooth sides. Trim excess folds of dough that create unwanted bulk. Brush the folded pastry with butter.
• Fully enclose the filling by arranging several more overlapping pastry leaves, shiny side up, over the top of the pie . Allow the edges of the pastry sheets to drape over the sides then tuck them carefully under the pie to finish shaping the bastilla.
• Brush the top and side of the bastilla generously with melted butter then with the egg yolk. (I use my hands for this step.)
• The bastilla is now ready for baking. Proceed to the next step, or wrap the bastilla in plastic (along with the parchment paper or foil base) and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or freeze for up to 2 or 3 months.
• Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C).
• Place the bastilla (still on its parchment paper or foil base) on a large baking sheet or pan. A flat sheet allows for easiest transfer; you can line it with foil and crimp up the edges to catch any drippings.)
• Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and crispy; about 35 to 45 minutes. Allow additional time if placing a frozen bastilla directly in the oven.
• Remove from the oven and if garnishing with cheese, sprinkle it over the hot bastilla. If your cheese doesn't have a low melting point, return the bastilla to the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
• Carefully transfer the bastilla to a large serving platter. Garnish as desired with shrimp, lemon slices and parsley. Serve immediately.

MOROCCAN FISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or saucepan and gently fry the onion, leeks and fennel for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, or until the veg is well softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and spices, and cook for 30 secs more. Season well with ground black pepper.
• Tip in the chopped tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, chickpeas, orange juice and peel with 300ml water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover loosely and cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are softened but not breaking apart.
• Add the fish pieces on top of the bubbling liquid and cover. Poach over a medium heat for 3-4 mins or until the fish is just cooked. Adjust the seasoning and serve scattered with parsley.