Spice things up with this Moroccan fish stew! It has a delicious, brothy tomato base filled with peppers, citrus, olives and chickpeas. You can use halibut, cod, Chilean sea bass or another firm, thick fleshed fish like salmon or sword fish. Serve as is in bowls or over rice or couscous. If you don’t have preserved lemon, add the juice of half a lemon and some lemon zest.
Moroccan Fish Stew with Citrus, Olive and Chickpeas
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, sliced into half moons
- 3 bell peppers (red and yellow), sliced in strips
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp corriander
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper or crushed red chili
- 2 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups green olives, pitted or not
- 1 Tbs finely chopped preserved lemon
- Zest of one orange
- 1 cup water
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 4 to 6 6 oz pieces halibut, seabass or cod seasoned with 1 tsp ras el hanout spice mix - if you don’t have that, season lightly with salt
- To garnish: cilantro and lemon
Method
- Sauté first 5 ingredients in a dutch oven or large pan that’s at least 3” high and has a lid, for about 10 minutes.
- Add everything else except for the fish. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes to make a rich tomato-y broth.
- After 20 minutes, use the tines of a fork to pop some of the cherry tomatoes after they’ve stewed to release some juices but don’t pop all of them.
- Gently nestle fish pieces in the pan. They should be about 2/3 submerged in liquid (add a little more water if needed.)
- Keep at a low simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes until fish is cooked through.
- Taste broth for seasoning.
- Serve with rice or couscous or by itself in a bowl as a stew with crusty bread.
- Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges
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