One of the things I didn’t anticipate would happen when I became a mother was all the help I would get when I went shopping for our groceries. For instance, the other day, while the Little Girl and I were at the market picking up the ingredients for this latest version of Is My Blog Burning? this time hosted by the lovely Wena of Mum-Mum, the baby, who is always in her carrier which is strapped to my chest, leaned way over and grabbed the handle of the grocery basket to "help" me carry it. Let me tell you, this kid has super powers, because while it was very cute, I'm sure it wasn't the most comfortable position for her, so when I tried to get her to loosen her grip on the basket she would not let go, I mean really, where do babies get that super-human strength from? I was no match for her, so I let her be, she was twisted in a pretty weird position but she was so happy helping mommy carry the basket that I could not deny her. A bit later, while we were in the produce section, the Little Girl, with her super hawk-eyed vision locked in on some parsley that was within her reach and yanked some out. Parsley, yup, I did need it, but not the entire display that came tumbling down into the basket and onto the floor with it, thanks baby girl! (actually, it was very cute to see the surprised look on her face juxtaposed with the lone parsley leaf that she was still clutching between her little chubby fingers). I’ll tell ya, grocery shopping is hard work, I very easily get tired, so when I just couldn't hold the shopping list a minute longer, the Little Girl, helpful as she is, swooped down, grabbed it out of my hand and held it for me, which was a great burden lifted from my shoulders, except that she ate the bottom part of the list and later on, after we had gotten all comfortable and changed into our tattered comfy house clothes and had started to cook, we had to stop everything, get redressed and go back out to get two missed ingredients.
I really love to eat fish, I always order it whenever we go out to dinner but sadly, I cook with it a lot less than I would like, mainly because these days buying fish has become a big chore. There’s the contaminated fish from contaminated waters that I would really like to avoid, then there's the endangered fish that I will no longer buy or eat, at home or in restaurants because I personally don't wish to contribute to the further extinction of species of fish (to read more about endangered and contaminated fish go here), AND quite frankly, fish has gotten very expensive. What used to be part of a poor man's diet...what was long ago considered peasant food has really turned into a pricey delicacy these days. Having said all that, I was still really glad for the opportunity that this latest IMBB gave me… I got to try a new recipe and eat something we don't often dine on at home, so it’s all good.
I wanted a recipe that was going to be a little more interesting than most, but I also wanted something that wasn't going to take a lot of time preparing, I have to be honest, as much as I adore making labor intensive recipes with long lists of steps and ingredients, these days I just can't spend the time on them unless they can be spread out over several days, so when I came across this recipe for Moroccan Fish Tagine With Peppers And Olives on good ole Epicurious, I knew it was the recipe I wanted to try making for IMBB V.
I was a bit skeptical when I read that the fish would be slow cooked in a 350 degree oven for over an hour, all I could imagine was the fish turning out dried out and chewy but I did read what other folks who had tried and rated this recipe had to say and for the most part all were happy, so I had to trust that everything would be alright. I’m glad I trusted, this dish turned out far better than I expected. Garlicky with a bright tart lemony fragrance and flavor permeating throughout the dish, the olives added a nice salty kick and the peppers mellowed everything out with their sweetness. For the fish I chose Tilapia, which according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List is:
Native to North Africa, tilapia are now farm-raised all over the world. They're hardy, freshwater fish that tolerate a wide range of water conditions, making them easy to raise. In the U.S., most tilapia are farmed in inland re-circulating systems that have little impact on the environment. Tilapia thrive on inexpensive vegetable-based foods, making them a good source of eco-friendly protein. You'll find mild, white tilapia fillets fresh and frozen, and you may spot farm-raised tilapia in the live tanks at Asian restaurants.
This was a good choice, the fish being firm-fleshed, had absorbed all the flavors of the dish and because it was layered in between the other ingredients it stayed nice and moist and came out very tender and flakey. This recipe is a keeper!
I recommend this recipe, and will post it as it appears on the site, however, here are some of my modifications and a few warnings: Salt to your taste rather than follow the recipe, the olives are salty and will add saltiness to the dish without the recommended amount of additional salt, and the dish will easily be ruined if it is over salted. I don’t have a tagine, but rather than use a glass baking dish covered with aluminum foil I used a covered enamel roasting pan and it worked really well, I packed everything really tight and close together. I used a really dark green, fruity olive oil rather than the vegetable oil the recipe called for. I used one pound of fresh tilapia rather than the 4-6 ounces of "white-fleshed" fish the recipe said to use, and I added six fat cloves of garlic oh yeah. From my own past bad experiences, I recommend using saffron that is fresh, I know it's pricey, but old saffron permeates a dish with stale flavors and smells that just ruins everything and it’s not worth taking the chance. The marinade and eventually the sauce that comes from the juices of the lemons, peppers and spices stains. Your fingers will have a slight yellow-orange tinge to them for a day or two, and don't wear a white shirt (ahem, not that this happened to me of course) unless you want it to become a knock-around-the-house-doing-chores-shirt . I used two medium onions and 3 lemons for this, but that's just my preference, I like onions and lemons. The lemon rind becomes soft and almost melts in your mouth as you eat, but it does also add a slight bitterness to the food that some may not like, so use less lemon or pick it out I guess. I did not pit my olives, I wasn't serving this to company and since Tom is not crazy about olives and usually eats around them and since I don't mind dealing with pits, I left them in. (hmmm, "dealing with pits", seems like there’s some kind of metaphor in there, no? Life is a bowl of cherries...). I also, highly recommend using organic lemons because you will be eating the rinds. I know they are pricier than non organic but they don’t contain the pesticide residues that regular lemons have and to me that's worth the extra money. This went really well with plain old reliable white rice. There you have it, my measley advice, so now go, go my friends, go and make this wonderful dish and eat it with gusto and abandon.
~ adapted from Epicurious
Most Moroccan fish specialties are prepared with a marinade called charmoula. Paprika, cumin, cilantro and garlic usually form its base, with other seasonings-such as the saffron and turmeric here-added for variation.
Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Add fish and turn to coat. Refrigerate 2 hours, turning fish occasionally.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange carrot slices over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Layer half of tomatoes, half of onion and half of lemon over. Season with half of salt and pepper.
Drain marinade from fish; reserve marinade. Arrange fish atop lemon slices. Top fish with remaining tomato, onion and lemon slices. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Top decoratively with red pepper strips and olives. Pour reserved marinade over. Cover dish with foil. Bake 40 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 400°F. and bake until fish flakes easily and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Garnish with additional parsley.
Serves 4.
Bon Appétit
May 1995
Written by Deb on June 20, 2004 04:54 PMA MurrayHill 5 Creation ©2002-06 The contents of this website and all images are © D. Byer unless indicated otherwise. All rights reserved. Please do not use images and/or content without permission and credit to this site. For more information contact: mh5deb(at)gmail(dot)com