Moroccan Baked Fish With Onions

By David Tanis

Moroccan Baked Fish With Onions
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
5(476)
Comments
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For fish with a spicy North African flavor, marinate firm-fleshed fillets for at least an hour in this traditional mixture of chopped green cilantro, olive oil, garlic, green chiles, paprika and lime juice. Then roast the fish on a bed of savory sliced onions stained yellow with turmeric and seasoned with preserved lemon and olives. Serve with steamed rice or roasted potatoes, and slices of ripe tomato.

Featured in: Fish With Morocco in Mind

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 1½pounds grouper, halibut or snapper, cut in six 4-ounce portions of equal thickness
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2bunches cilantro
  • 2garlic cloves, smashed to a paste
  • 1serrano chile, very finely chopped, or to taste
  • 1teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
  • 1teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground, plus ½ teaspoon whole seeds
  • 2tablespoons paprika
  • ½cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3tablespoons lime juice
  • 2tablespoons butter
  • 3large onions, sliced ¼-inch thick (about 4 cups)
  • ½teaspoon turmeric
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 1preserved lemon, finely diced
  • 1cup green or black olives, with pits
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

434 calories; 31 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 785 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season fish fillets lightly with salt and pepper and set aside. Wash cilantro and pat dry. Reserve a few cilantro sprigs for garnish, then roughly chop leaves and tender stems and put in a medium bowl. Add ½ teaspoon salt, the garlic, the chile, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, the paprika, ½ cup olive oil and the lime juice. Stir mixture together.

  2. Step 2

    Pour cilantro sauce over fish fillets, reserving 4 tablespoons of the sauce for serving. Coat both sides of fish with the mixture. Cover and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate for up to several hours.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, put butter and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add sliced onions and season generously with salt and pepper. Add remaining ground cumin and ground coriander, ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds, the turmeric and the cayenne. Stir to coat. When onions begin to soften, turn heat to medium. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until onions are soft and begin to brown. Stir in preserved lemon and olives. Cool to room temperature. (The onions may be cooked in advance.)

  4. Step 4

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread onions in a low baking dish. Arrange marinated fish fillets over onions in a single layer. Bake on top rack until fish is just done, 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, smear a little reserved cilantro sauce over each fillet, and give each guest a large spoonful of the onions. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
476 user ratings
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Comments

Theresa

I subbed in cod—the firm white fish for the people’s budget—in this recipe. Didn’t have preserved lemons, so swapped our for lemon juice. Added a dash of smoked paprika just because I had some on hand. No fancy olives here, just a handful of Spanish Queen spared from a swim in my martini glass. And even with all of my little substitutions, this recipe CHANGED MY LIFE. I’m not exaggerating, really. Keep your poached salmon and your seared ahi tuna!

Terry J

For more vegetables in the dish, I added two cups of sliced tender-steamed cauliflower to the sautéed onions as they began to brown and it worked very well.

Diane

I used tilapia. I increased the cumin and coriander to 2t each and kept the other marinade ingredients the same. I added an extra onion and half a cauliflower broken up into small florettes, 2t each of cumin, coriander and turmeric and extra cayenne. With the preserved lemon I used 2T of capers instead of the olives. Served it with Basmati rice and Naan.
It was delicious! My husband and son love flavorful dishes, which is why I increased the spices. I will make it when friends come for dinner.

roberto

Making preserved lemon is easy (ingredients: lemons, salt) if you live somewhere without medditerranean or north african delis or groceries. Look online for recipes. Once they're fermented, a jar will last forever in the fridge. They're very pungent. I've never used more than half a lemon in a recipe. I'm about to try this one. It seems like a whole lemon would dominate the flavors, but we'll see.

Dennis

What's the point of olives with the pits?

Colorado Senior

My boyfriend doesn’t like spicy food, and I thought I had over spiced the onions. But when combined in this recipe with the other spices and the cilantro and grouper, the combination was delicious! I did use my food processor on the cilantro sauce.

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