Moroccan Harissa Cod

OMG this is the most kicked up cod I have ever made. The gentle flavor of cod is pumped up and augmented with an aromatic Moroccan tomato sauce based on Harissa - a fantastic Moroccan chili paste. Discover your favorite harissa blends - there are many; better and best. Explore.

1.5 lb cod fillet

1/2 sweet yellow onion, finely diced

1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved

Liquid purée:

2 Tbsp Moroccan harissa chili paste (I used Cava brand paste)

palmful fresh parsley

1/4 cup golden raisins

2 cloves garlic, quartered

1 piece candied ginger, or 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and quartered

1 tsp turmeric

2 Tbsp olive oil

reserved tomato liquid

ground sumac spice to taste

palmful fresh parsley, minced for garnish

Sauté the onion in a dash of olive oil in a small tagine or pot for about 5 minutes. Add the drained tomatoes and cook another 10 minutes, adding olive oil as needed to keep a nice sizzle going.

Cook until tomatoes have darkened and dried a bit.

Place ingredients for liquid purée into a small food processor. Process until you have a relatively smooth mix. Pour purée into tagine and mix with onion mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes to darken and build flavor.

Nestle cod in tomato base and sprinkle with a little sumac or black pepper, to taste.

Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until cod is just cooked through.

Serve cod plated on a bed of spicy Moroccan tomato sauce.

Serves 4.

Cook’s Note: I used a traditional Moroccan tagine to cook this dish but you can use any large skillet or pot with a lid just as well.

Comments

Chicken Piccata over Squid Ink Pasta

Serve this delicious lemony piccata over your favorite pasta. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thick cutlets 1/4 cup flour 1 lemon sliced and de-seeded 2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp capers 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup dry white wine crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 8 oz squid ink pasta fresh parsley for garnish Melt butter in the oil in a skillet. Fry the lemon slices for a few minutes, just until beginning to brown. Set aside on a plate. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast. Dredge the chicken in the flour and brown the first side of each in the butter mixture in the skillet. Flip to brown second side. Cook over low heat for a total of about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook until just al dente. Remove chicken to a plate when cooked through. Add capers and garlic to skillet a...

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a wonderful Greek yogurt dip and condiment. It's great with pita bread or veggies, or as a topping on all kinds of grilled foods. Make sure you use a full fat, thick Greek yogurt, and that you squeeze as much water out of the grated cucumber as you can - you don't want a watery Tzatziki; it should be thick and rich. 1/2 English cucumber (about 6-inches), sliced lengthwise in half 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 cup full fat Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 5%) 2 cloves garlic, grated with microplane or minced through a press 1/2 shallot, very finely diced 1 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried dill) 1/8 tsp Aleppo red pepper (or fine-ground Korean chili pepper), or to taste 1 tsp red wine vinegar Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the seeds in the center of each half. Coarsely grate cucumber and toss in a colander with the salt. Allow to sit 10-15 minutes. Squeeze water from cucumber and then tip onto the center of a full-sized paper t...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog