Moroccan Fish (Chraime)

I've been watching a lot of Sephardic housekeeping videos.  I'm not Sephardic, but I love the culture.  A lot of these women are Moroccan, or married to Moroccan men.  And they introduced me to this dish that is traditional for Shabbat in Sephardic homes.

Everyone makes Moroccan Fish a little different.  Some use tomatoes and tomato paste, some skip the tomatoes entirely.  One recipe has potatoes and carrots, another only red pepper.  A few versions use ras el hanout, which I don't have, so I used my generic "tagine spice" instead.  Those who like chickpeas put some in, unless it's Passover.  Some Sephardi will eat legumes on Passover, others won't.  You know, a traditional dish.

I learned a cool tomato paste hack while researching.  Very few recipes use an entire can of tomato paste, and then what do you do with the rest?  I've been putting it in a half-cup container and freezing it.  This hack is to put the remainder in a sandwich ziplock, mark off tablespoon-ish portions with the back of a knife, and freeze it like that.  When you need some, just break off a frozen piece and let it defrost in whatever you're making.

This is my version, using ingredients I like and happen to have on hand, including a carrot that got way bigger than I intended.  It is a seemingly daunting list of ingredients, but not really when you divide it up into spices, vegetables, and proteins.  I did buy the bell pepper, since that was in nearly every version I found.  So, $1.50 in new purchases and I was able to use the last tilapia fillets in the freezer.

2 Tb olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp ras el hanout (optional)
*5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1/4 C diced onion
*2 ribs celery, small slice
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in chunks
*2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
*1 to 1-1/2 C chopped cilantro, about half a bunch
*1 can (about 1-1/2 C) chickpeas, drained
*4 tilapia filets (or salmon, cod, or rockfish, about 1 lb)
salt to taste
*sliced or preserved lemon, to taste

1.  Pour oil into a large skillet with a lid.  Heat over medium-high until shimmering while you chop all the veggies.

2.  Add tomato paste, crushed garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, and any optional spices to the pan.  Cook until fragrant and the tomato paste has caramelized, about 5 minutes.  And yes, that is a lot of paprika.  I cut down all the spices, and there's still a lot.  They work.

3.  Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and carrots and continue to cook until coated with spices and the onion has softened, 5-8 minutes.  That will give you time to chop the cilantro, stems and all.  Remove any very thick or woody stems, but smaller ones will cook down.  Reserve enough for garnish and add the rest to the skillet.

4.  Add enough water to barely cover everything.  Bring to a low boil.  Then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the thicker veggies are softening, about 15 minutes.

5.  Add chickpeas and lemon to the skillet.  Cut the fish into pieces that will fit in the pan and nestle among the veggies.  Add more water if necessary, recover, and simmer until the fish is done, about 20 minutes.  Taste broth and add salt to taste.  Simmer about 5 more minutes to allow the salt to infuse.  If you want to reduce the water into a sauce, remove the fish and carrots first so they don't overcook, then boil on medium-high until desired consistency.  Serve hot, garnished with cilantro, with a side of rice, couscous, or bread.

Difficulty rating  :)