Moroccan Fish Tagine

by Steven Snow – Fins Restaurant
Serves 4

Ingredients

• tagine sweet potatoes
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) Brookfarm Natural Macadamia Oil
• 1 brown onion, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 300 g (101/2 oz) sweet potato, cut into 2.5 cm
• (1 inch) cubes
• 1 teaspoon Moroccan spice *
• 90 g (31/4 oz/1/3 cup) tinned chopped tomatoes
• 50 g (13/4 oz/1/4 cup) pitted dates, halved
• 1 tablespoon preserved lemon, rinsed and finely chopped
• 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) dry white wine
• 16 green beans, trimmed
• 4 x 150 g (51/2 oz) thick boneless, skinless white fish fillets, such as mahi mahi, snapper,
• pig fish, jewfish, leatherjacket or flathead
• ground white pepper, to taste
• a pinch Moroccan spice*
• 60 g (21/4 oz/1/2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 3 tablespoons Brookfarm Natural Macadamia Oil
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 4 tablespoons chermoula
• 8 pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1 handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped, to serve
• 1 handful mint leaves, finely chopped, to serve
• 80 g (23/4 oz/1 scant cup) toasted flaked almonds

Method

• To make the tagine potatoes, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion
  and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Add the potato and Moroccan
  spice, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring to combine. Add the tomatoes, dates, preserved
  lemon and wine. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat, or until the potato
  is tender. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Put the green beans in a saucepan of salted boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes, or until
  tender. Drain and set aside.
• Season the fish fillets with sea salt and ground white pepper. Sprinkle each fillet with a
  pinch of Moroccan spice and dust with the flour. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over
  medium heat and cook the fish for 11⁄2 minutes on each side, or until lightly coloured. Add
  the wine and cook for 1 minute. Evenly spread the chermoula over the top of each fish fillet.
  Add the olives and green beans and continue to cook for a further 2–3 minutes, or until the fish is almost cooked in the centre. Remove from the heat.
• To serve, share the tagine sweet potatoes between four plates. Place a fish fillet on top of
  the potatoes and arrange the green beans and olives over the fish. Sprinkle the parsley and
  mint into the pan juices and swirl to combine, then drizzle over the fish. Garnish with the
  toasted flaked almonds.
• Moroccan spiceMoroccan spice is full of flavour and an essential part of making chermoula. It is also great
  used in stir-fries, marinades and added to yoghurt and cheese or cream-based sauces. All
  spices are best ground in small amounts for freshness and pungency.
  2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  1 teaspoon ground paprika
  Makes 1/4 cup
• Preheat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF/Gas 2). Spread the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and
  fenugreek seeds evenly on a baking tray. Roast for about 5 minutes, or until you can smell
  the aroma of the spices. Grind in a spice grinder, or pound in a mortar, using a pestle, until
  fine. Add the paprika and mix all the spices together. Store in an airtight container and use
  within 3 days.