Essaouira Monkfish Tagine
- 10m Prep Time
- 20m Cook Time
- 30m Ready In
A quick Moroccan-inspired tagine featuring monkfish in a spiced tomato sauce with preserved lemon and olives, served over couscous.
Ingredients
- monkfish fillet membrane removed
- 0.5 lemon juice of
- couscous
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 red (bell) peppers deseeded and finely sliced
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 preserved lemon
- pitted black olives sliced
- 1 large handful of parsley leaves finely chopped
- sea salt
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 13 of 17 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 287 mg
- Iron: 3.46 mg
- Magnesium: 56.8 mg
- Phosphorus: 261 mg
- Potassium: 991 mg
- Zinc: 2.01 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- couscous
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 preserved lemon
- sea salt
Prepare
- monkfish fillet, membrane removed
- 0.5 lemon, juice of
- 2 red (bell) peppers, deseeded and finely sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
- Peel 4 garlic cloves
- Slice pitted black olives
- 1 large handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Cut the monkfish fillet into 2 pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Pour over the lemon juice, add a pinch of salt, and mix together. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
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Step 2.
Place the couscous in a large mixing bowl and add 185ml (¾ cup) warm water. Cover tightly with cling film and let it sit for at least 10 minutes, or until ready to serve.
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Step 3.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the sliced red peppers and carrots, and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
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Step 4.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic cloves, cumin, paprika, black pepper, chili powder, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir well to coat the vegetables with the spices.
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Step 5.
Pour in the tinned chopped tomatoes and 200ml (scant 1 cup) hot water. Stir everything together thoroughly. Bring the sauce to a boil.
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Step 6.
Add the marinated monkfish pieces to the boiling sauce. Cover the pan, leaving a small gap for steam to escape, and cook for 5–6 minutes. Turn the fish over, spoon some sauce over the top, then re-cover and cook for another 5–6 minutes until the fish is cooked through and tender.
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Step 7.
While the fish cooks, remove the flesh from the preserved lemon and slice the skin into thin strips. Discard the flesh. Fluff the couscous with a fork.
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Step 8.
Add the preserved lemon skin strips, sliced black olives, and chopped parsley to the pan with the cooked fish. Stir gently to combine. To serve, cut each piece of fish in half and divide among plates with the couscous.