Moroccan fish stew

Today I cooked this foolproof and very tasty dish. The recipe below is for the economy version of it, which involves pouring marinade into the dish rather than discarding it and adding more of the same ingredients while making the sauce. This saves on the fresh coriander, which I have to buy growing in little pots and which is the second most expensive ingredient after the fish. Another idea: if you want more protein, you can add cubed tofu along with the fish. Yummy!

Marinade (Chermoula)
1 big bunch fresh coriander (a.k.a. cilantro)
salt
4 cloves garlic
1 glass water
2 T lemon juice
3 T olive oil
2 coffee spoon sweet red pepper
1 coffee spoon hot red pepper
1 T cumin

Crush the coriander with salt and garlic, stir in remaining ingredients. Marinate the fish (raw) in it for at least 1 hour (I marinated for about two days as I had no time to finish the stew).

Moroccan fish stew (Tajine Hout)
2-3 T olive oil
2 lb fish steaks (salmon or any other fish which will not fall apart during cooking)

2 medium-sized onions, chopped
1 small hot pepper, chopped (I used jalapeño)

2 cups canned tomatoes, peeled and puréed with 1/2 to 1 cup of water
1/2 to 1 t salt (don't go overboard with salt if you will be adding salted lemons)
1 t ginger
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t pepper

1 salted lemon, quartered and sliced (substitute with fresh lemon - to taste)
1/3 cup green olives, pitted

In a frying pan, heat oil, then sauté fish steaks over medium heat for 10 mins, turning over once. Remove and place in a pot. (I skipped this step, just made the sauce in a dutch oven and dumped the fish with marinade into it.)

Make the sauce: sauté onions and hot pepper in olive oil over medium heat for 10 mins. Stir in the marinade and the remaining ingredients, except the lemon and olives. Pour over the steaks in the pot.

Cover and cook over low heat for about 40 mins.

Spread lemons and olives over the top of the steaks, then cook for a further 10 mins.

Serve with mashed potatoes or cooked rice.

Moroccan preserved (salted) lemons

Very easy to make at home, they have the most unique taste. Definitely worth making. They can be used for all kinds of Moroccan meat or vegetable stews as well as for salads. The jar in the picture contains my most recent batch.

5 lemons
1/4 cup salt, more if desired

Optional Safi Mixture:
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
5 to 6 coriander seeds
3 to 4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
freshly squeezed lemon juice

If you wish to soften the peel, soak the lemons in lukewarm water for 3 days, changing the water daily.

Cut off and discard the tops of the lemons. Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1/2 inch of the bottom, spread them and stuff well with salt, then reshape the fruit.

Place 1 T salt on the bottom of a sterile 1 pint mason jar. Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt, and the optional spices between layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices and to make room for the remaining lemons. (If the juice released from the squashed fruit does not cover them, add freshly squeezed lemon juice, not chemically produced lemon juice and not water.) Leave some air space before sealing the jar.

Let the lemons ripen in a warm place, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. Let ripen for 30 days.

To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, removing and discarding the pulp, if desired. There is no need to refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three times over the course of a year.

(Recipe from the book Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco by Paula Wolfert.)

Alternatively, you can cover the lemons with spring water and pour vegetable oil on top before sealing the jar. The oil works as a seal, protecting the lemons from air contact during the preservation time.