Preserved Lemons For Moroccan Fish Tagine Recipes

PRESERVED LEMONS FOR MOROCCAN FISH TAGINE

Steps:

• Place lemons in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Transfer to a clean 1-cup glass jar with a lid; add lemon juice. Cover jar and let stand at room temperature for 7 days, shaking jar daily to distribute salt and juice.
• To store lemons, add enough olive oil to cover and refrigerate for up to 1 year. Rinse lemons before using.

MOROCCAN PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Scrub lemons thoroughly under cold running water. Cut each lemon into quarters, but do not cut all the way through the top, so that the lemon still holds together.
• Rub lemons generously with salt inside and out and along all the cuts. Place them in a large sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add lukewarm water to cover; the lemons should be fully immersed. Screw on the lid and let cure for 1 month in a dark, dry, and cool place.

MOROCCAN FISH TAGINE

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, ginger, cumin, salt, and saffron in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add cod and mix well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or tagine. Layer onion rings, carrot matchsticks, and potato slices in the pot in that order. Remove cod from marinade and spread evenly over potatoes. Cover cod with green bell pepper rings and tomato strips. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro on top. Pour marinade over cilantro.
• Cover pot tightly and cook over low heat until potatoes are tender and cod flakes easily with a fork, about 1 hour.

MOROCCAN FISH TAGINE WITH TOMATOES, OLIVES, AND PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until toasted and fragrant; grind to a fine powder. Transfer cumin to a mortar or jar of a blender and add garlic, salt, paprika, parsley, cilantro, pulp of preserved lemon, and olive oil. Puree to make a charmoula, using a pestle or by blending.
• Rinse fish and pat dry. If using monkfish, cut away grey membrane and divide the fish into 4 equal pieces. Rub half of the charmoula all over fish; let stand for 1 hour at room temperature or up to 24 hours, refrigerated. Add 1/2 cup water to remaining charmoula, cover, and keep refrigerated.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread 2 tablespoons reserved charmoula over the bottom of a tagine; sprinkle with carrots and celery. Add half of the tomatoes and bell peppers; top with fish and drizzle with some of the charmoula. Add remaining tomatoes and bell peppers and spread remaining charmoula over top.
• Chop preserved lemon peel and sprinkle around fish along with olives and bay leaves. Cover tagine with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.
• Remove tagine from oven and pour liquid from dish into a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat until thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup; pour back over fish.
• Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Baste fish with pan juices and bake, uncovered, in top third of oven until a crust has formed over the vegetables, about 10 minutes. Transfer tagine to a wooden surface or a folded kitchen towel to prevent cracking. Garnish with cilantro sprigs; serve warm or hot.