Moroccan fish tagine is a delicious one-pot dish that’s great for any meal. It is full of so much flavor and healthy to boot so everyone will enjoy it!
In a previous post, I shared my recipe for delicious chermoula sauce. And while I provided more than a few suggestions on how to use that sauce, I don’t want to leave you folks completely hanging. So today, we’re going to make a great recipe that utilizes that chermoula as one of its main components with Moroccan fish tagine.
What is a Tagine?
Tagine, sometimes spelled tajine, is one of the most iconic things associated with North African/Maghrebi cuisine. And it refers to both a type of dish and the earthenware cooking vessel these dishes are prepared in.
But much like how midwesterners use the word casserole, the word tagine doesn’t imply a singular specific dish. Sometimes they will include chicken, other times lamb, or in today’s case fish. There is a large variety of vegetables and dried fruits that can be incorporated to complement the meat. And on top of all that, there’s a myriad of different aromatic, herb, and spice combinations to choose from.
So really the only thing bringing all of these dishes together is the cooking vessel. And if you’ve never seen one before they look like this.
It consists of two separate pieces, a wide and shallow bottom layer, along with a conical-shaped lid. And it’s the unique shape of the lid that makes cooking in a tagine special.
You see as the ingredients in the tagine cook they naturally release liquid. This liquid then heats up and turns into steam which is captured by the lid and recycled back down. This creates a super moist cooking environment that you just don’t get with a regular pot/pan with a lid. And what you end up with is a rich and delicious sauce that basically forms out of nowhere.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- What type of fish is best for this dish?: Well, today I am using cod fillets because I had some in my freezer, but really any type of firm-fleshed fish will work. Some examples are swordfish, mahi-mahi, sea bass, or conger ell.
- Do I need a tagine to make this dish?: Well yes, and no. As I said above the shape of the tagine is what helps to produce a sauce at the end of cooking. However, you can still make this dish in something like a dutch oven and have it turn out delicious. But if you want to have a nice sauce you will need to increase the water added from ¼ cup to ½ cup.
- Chermoula: Most of the flavor for today’s dish comes from the chermoula sauce. So please check out our recipe for it and make it in advance before you get started with this dish.
- Serving Suggestions: While this dish has enough going on that it can be served all by itself, sometimes I like to pair it with a few sides. Some of my favorites include Moroccan Carrot Salad, Farro & Arugula Salad, Tabbouleh Salad, and Saffron Rice. Or you could keep it traditional and serve it with some Couscous or Moroccan Bread.
Moroccan Fish Tagine Recipe
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1½ Lbs of firm fish, cut into individual-sized portions
1 Cup of homemade chermoula *check the link above for the recipe*
Olive oil
1 Large onion, cut into strips
2 Large potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ to ½ inch sized slices
2 to 3 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼ to ½ inch sized slices
½ Teaspoon of paprika
½ Teaspoon of turmeric
2 Medium tomatoes, cut into ¼ to ½ inch sized slices
2 Bell peppers, deseeded and cut into thin strips
½ Cup of green olives, like castelvetrano
1 Lemon, cut into thin slices
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the fish: Place the pieces of fish in a large mixing bowl and pour the chermoula over them. Toss these together until every piece of fish is coated in the chermoula sauce. Let this rest and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Assemble the fish tagine: Start by pouring enough olive oil into the tagine until it covers the bottom. This should be roughly ¼ to ⅓ cup. Then layer the sliced onions, carrots, and potatoes in that order, making sure to sprinkle a little salt and pepper over each layer. Follow this up by sprinkling the paprika and turmeric over the potatoes.
Next, layer the sliced tomatoes over the potatoes. Place the fish over the tomatoes along with the chermoula it has been marinating in.
Finish this by placing the sliced bell peppers, olives, and sliced lemons over the fish.
- Cook the fish tagine: Pour ¼ cup of water into the tagine and place it on your stovetop over medium heat. Let the liquid in the tagine come to a simmer then cover it and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the fish tagine cook for 45 minutes or until the fish and the vegetables are fully cooked and fork-tender.
- Take the fish tagine off the heat and let it rest for a couple of minutes before serving, enjoy!
Moroccan Fish Tagine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ Lbs of firm fish cut into individual-sized portions
- 1 Cup of homemade chermoula *check the link above for the recipe*
- Olive oil
- 1 Large onion cut into strips
- 2 Large potatoes peeled and cut into ¼ to ½ inch sized slices
- 2 to 3 carrots peeled and cut into ¼ to ½ inch sized slices
- ½ Teaspoon of paprika
- ½ Teaspoon of turmeric
- 2 Medium tomatoes cut into ¼ to ½ inch sized slices
- 2 Bell peppers deseeded and cut into thin strips
- ½ Cup of green olives like castelvetrano
- 1 Lemon cut into thin slices
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the fish: Place the pieces of fish in a large mixing bowl and pour the chermoula over them. Toss these together until every piece of fish is coated in the chermoula sauce. Let this rest and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Assemble the fish tagine: Start by pouring enough olive oil into the tagine until it covers the bottom. This should be roughly ¼ to ⅓ cup. Then layer the sliced onions, carrots, and potatoes in that order, making sure to sprinkle a little salt and pepper over each layer. Follow this up by sprinkling the paprika and turmeric over the potatoes. Next, layer the sliced tomatoes over the potatoes. Place the fish over the tomatoes along with the chermoula it has been marinating in. Finish this by placing the sliced bell peppers, olives, and sliced lemons over the fish.
- Cook the fish tagine: Pour ¼ cup of water into the tagine and place it on your stovetop over medium heat. Let the liquid in the tagine come to a simmer then cover it and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the fish tagine cook for 45 minutes or until the fish and the vegetables are fully cooked and fork-tender.
- Take the fish tagine off the heat and let it rest for a couple of minutes before serving, enjoy!
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