Chermoula Moroccan Fish Marinade Recipes

Steps:

• Place the garlic, cumin, saffron, olive oil, lemon juice, chili and salt in a mortar and pound with a pestle. Or alternatively put all the above in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped, I have little baby processor which makes this a doddle.
• Add the fresh cilantro and mix in or give an additional quick whiz to combine.
• Spread the mixture over the fish of your choice and leave to marinade for at least 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Make chermoula:
• In a mortar with a pestle, an electric spice grinder, or a cleaned coffee grinder grind fine coriander seeds, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and saffron. Transfer spice mixture to a small bowl and stir in remaining chermoula ingredients.
• Lightly oil a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold fillets in one layer. Arrange fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper, in dish and top evenly with chermoula. Chill fillets, covered 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large heavy skillet melt butter in water over moderately high heat. Add fennel and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Cook fennel, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes more, and season with salt and pepper.
• While fennel is cooking, bake chilled fish in oven until it just flakes, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Serve each fillet on a bed of fennel and garnish with fennel fronds.

Steps:

• Heat a frying pan and dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds with the cinnamon until aromatic. Grind with a pestle and mortar, or in a spice grinder. Then either put all the ingredients in a blender and whiz them up, or pummel the whole lot in the pestle and mortar, adding one ingredient at a time in the above order. Keeps well, refrigerated for a week.

Steps:

• Pound all ingredients together in a large mortar and pestle or buzz in a food processor. You want a rough-textured paste. Note: I use all the coriander stems.
• Chermoula will keep several days in the fridge.

Steps:

• Season the fish with salt and pepper. In a large baking dish combine the fish with half the chermoula and toss together until the fish is coated. If the chermoula is thick it may be easier to spread it onto the fish with a spatula. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes while you preheat the broiler or prepare a grill.
• If using a broiler, line a sheet pan with foil and brush the foil with olive oil, or oil a shallow baking dish. Place the fish in the pan in a single layer. If desired drizzle on a little more olive oil or lemon juice. Place under the broiler, close to the heat (about 2 1/2 inches below) and broil 5 minutes. Check the fish; the timing depends on how thick the fillets are; figure on 4 to 5 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness. It is done when it is opaque and you can pull it apart with a fork. Using a spatula, transfer the fish from the sheet pan or baking dish to a platter or to individual plates. Tip the juices in the pan over the fish fillets. Pass the remaining chermoula and lemon wedges at the table.

Steps:

• Pound the ingredients for the filling together using a pestle and mortar. Make 3 diagonal incisions along both sides of each mackerel, then push in the filling. Chill for up to 2 hrs before cooking.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. For the chermoula, place the garlic, spices, lemon juice, coriander and a pinch of sea salt into a blender. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, blending.
• Brush the mackerel with a little olive oil on both sides, then place on a hot griddle or frying pan and sear for 2 mins on each side. Carefully transfer to an oven tray and bake for about 10 mins, or until the mackerel is cooked through. Drizzle with some of the chermoula and serve with the Carrot, olive & lemon couscous (recipe, below), lemon wedges and the remaining chermoula on the side.

Steps:

• In food processor or blender combine cilantro, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, olive oil, salt, and cayenne to a fine paste. Adjust the consistency by adding more olive oil; the marinade should be fairly thick.