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Fish Tagine

An easy fish stew with exotic flavors. You can make the same style dish using chicken thighs in place of the fish; just boost the oven temperature to 400°F and increase the cooking time by 15 minutes or so. This is great served with couscous (page 526), bread, or rice.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
One 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 1/2 to 2 pounds fillets of red snapper, halibut, grouper, sea bass, or other firm fish, cut into 4 equal portions
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
5 small tomatoes, cored
3 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 large onion, sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup olives, preferably green, pitted

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk together the first 5 ingredients in a shallow baking dish. Place the fish in the marinade and turn to coat. (Refrigerate if your kitchen is very warm.)

    Step 2

    Place the garlic, cayenne, tomatoes, cumin, a large pinch of salt, and a sprinkling of pepper in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Oil the bottom of a casserole or baking dish. Lay the onion slices across the bottom, then top with the tomato mixture. Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture becomes juicy.

    Step 3

    Remove the foil and lay the fish on top of the tomato mixture; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay the lemon slices on top of the fish, then pour on the fish marinade; top with the olives. Cover and bake for another 15 minutes, or until a thin-bladed knife passes through the fish with little resistance. Garnish with additional parsley or cilantro and serve immediately.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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