Moroccan Fish

Shared by Anna Masica

Anna Masica’s family has been making this fish dish for generations, in a tradition that started in Morocco. For as far back as she can remember, Anna’s family would eat this fish dish on Friday nights, as it’s often the customary protein in Sephardic Jewish households on Shabbat, alongside another dish made with chickpeas. “As my mom used to say, this is a dish that has all the nutrients in it.” Anna told us. “She also would say that is to test everybody’s spiciness tolerance. Sometimes this dish was so spicy when my mom made it.” If you’re not a fan of spicy food, don’t worry: you can still make this recipe—just seed the jalapeño before slicing it (or skip it entirely and use half a green bell pepper instead.)

Anna always helped her late mother make this fish—she uses salmon, but a flaky white fish would also work—and eventually Anna wrote down the recipe when her kids became old enough to cook for themselves. Starting as a simple vegetable saute, the mixture is seasoned with paprika, cumin, and turmeric, then poured over the fish. It’s baked until just cooked, then served warm. Every time Anna makes this dish, she feels it brings her closer to her mother, and helps keep her memory alive.

Moroccan Fish

4 to 5 servings 50 minutes (25 minutes active, 25 minutes cooking)

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced and seeded if desired 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced 1 lemon, rind and pith removed, thinly sliced into rounds

1 bunch cilantro (leaves and all stems), chopped ½ teaspoon hot, sweet, or smoked paprika ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper 2 to 3 pounds salmon or white fish like red snapper, striped bass, cod or halibut, skin-on filets

Preparation

1.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Heat the oil in a large skillet, then saute the peppers until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and lemon, and cook until the vegetables soften, 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the cilantro. Stir in the paprika, cumin, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Remove from the heat.

2.

Place the fish, skin side down, in a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Generously salt and pepper the fish, then pour the vegetable mixture over. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil. Bake until the fish is nearly cooked through at its thickest part, and flakes apart when pulled at with a fork on the thinner parts, about 20 minutes.

Notes

3.

Remove the foil. Turn on the broiler to high and cook for an additional 2 to 4 minutes to char the vegetables. Pull the fish from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes–the residual heat will finish cooking the fish. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.