Fish Tagine
To keep the tradition of fish on Good Friday even though we are all celebrating separately during social distancing times, we decided that we`ll make things a little differently with our version of a Fish Tagine.
Simple, flavourful and delicious. Even if you`re only cooking for two like we are, we recommend making a full recipe of the sauce. It`s good.
Start by de-shelling the shrimp. You can choose to keep the tail on or take it out with the shell but make sure to reserve those for the stock.
Use the peels to make a shrimp stock. In a medium pot, add 5 Cups of Cold Water, ½ Onion, 2 Celery Stalks, 1 Carrot, 1 Garlic Clove, 1 Finger Hot Pepper, 2 Leek Greens – washed (optional), 4 Sprigs Thyme, 1 Piece Fennel, 1 Nub Ginger (1 inch), ½ Tbsp Whole Peppercorns, ½ Tbsp Coriander Seeds, 1 Bay Leaf. All vegetables should be chopped into large pieces.
Note: If you have fish bones, those will add even more flavour to the stock.
Bring the pot to a boil and lower the heat to simmer it. Put the lid on and simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid and cook for another 20-30 minutes to reduce the stock to half.
Remove all solids from the broth with a strainer, add a pinch of saffron to it and reserve.
Make a spice blend for your tagine with 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1tsp of ground coriander, ½ tsp of cinnamon, and ½ tsp of turmeric. Keep it at hand.
In a medium pot, add ½ Tbsp of Oil and sauté the peeled shrimp for about 1 minute per side on high heat. Reserve.
Lower the heat to medium and, to the same pot, add 1 Tbsp of EVOO. Sauté onion (chopped into small pieces) and sliced chilies for about 8 minutes or until tender. Add grated garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
Add the spice blend and tomato puree and cook for another minute or two.
Add the cherry tomatoes, ground almonds, juice and zest of a ½ lemon, honey, the saffron-shrimp stock and ½ tsp of salt.
Simmer the sauce for about 8-10 minutes, until it starts to get a thicker consistency. Taste and adjust the salt to your taste at this point.
In the meantime, cut the fish fillets into 1-inch pieces. Add these and the part-cooked shrimps to the sauce and poach them until they`re cooked (about 4 minutes).
White Fish Tagine
Servings: 4
Time: 1 Hour
Ingredients
4 Fish Fillets, defrosted (we used Basa)
8-12 Shrimps (Raw, Peel-On)
½ Spanish Onion
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 pinch Saffron
500 mL Fish or Shrimp Stock (Recipe Below)
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger (grated)
2-3 Finger Hot Peppers (or your neutral spice of choice)
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
½ tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Turmeric
2 Tbsp Tomato Puree (could be tomato sauce or 1 Tbsp of tomato paste)
10-12 cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp Ground Almonds
½ Lemon - Zest and Juice (You can also use Orange for more flavour)
½ Tbsp Honey
¼ Cup Fresh Parsley
Step-by-Step
1. Sauté de-shelled shrimp on high heat for about 1 minute per side. Reserve.
2. Warm up the stock until it`s warmed trough and put the saffron strands in it.
3. In the same pot, add 1 Tbsp of EVOO, and sauté chopped onion and chilies on medium heat until tender (8 minutes). Add grated garlic and ginger and cook for one more minute. Add spices (cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric) and tomato puree. Cook for another minute.
4. Add cherry tomatoes, ground almonds, juice and zest of a ½ lemon, honey and the saffron-shrimp stock. Add a pinch of salt.
5. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes until the consistency starts to get a little thicker. Taste and adjust the salt.
6. Cut the fish into 1-inch pieces and add them to the sauce. Add fish and shrimp to the sauce to poach the fish for about 4 minutes (until cooked through).
Serve with cooked Couscous or Spiced Rice (Recipe Below), Natural Yogurt, Naan and Lemon Wedges.
Shrimp Stock
Ingredients
½ Onion
2 Celery Stalks
1 Carrot
5 Cups Cold Water
1 Garlic Clove
1 Finger Hot Pepper
2 Leek Greens, washed (optional)
4 Sprigs Thyme
1 Piece Fennel
1 Nub Ginger (1 inch)
½ Tbsp Whole Peppercorns
½ Tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 Bay Leaf
Step-by-Step
1. Roughly chop all vegetables into medium pieces. Add all ingredients to a pot with the water and turn the heat up to high until it boils. Turn the heat down to medium and let it simmer for about 30 minutes with a lid on. Take off the lid, and let the stock reduce to about half (20-30 minutes).
2. Use a sieve to remove all solid parts and reserve.
Spiced Rice
Servings: 4
Time: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients
1 ½ Cup White Rice
2 ½ Cup Water
1 Cup Frozen Vegetable Blend
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Ground Coriander
½ tsp Ground Cumin
½ tsp Dry Basil
Step-by-Step
1. Add all ingredients to a medium pot and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to medium to simmer, close the lid and cook for about 10 minutes.
2. If there is any water left, drain the rice with a sieve and reserve. Discard the water.
