Chermoula Roasted Fish: The Moroccan Coast's Marinade, a Whole Fish or a Fillet, and the Twelve Minutes That Matter
Chermoula was invented for fish. On the Moroccan Atlantic coast, in the port towns of Essaouira, Safi and Agadir, the sardines and sea bream that come off the boats are rubbed with a green paste of cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon and oil, left for an hour, and then grilled over charcoal or baked in a tagine on a bed of vegetables. The marinade does three things at once: the acid and salt season the fish through, the herbs and spices coat it, and the oil keeps it moist in the heat. It is a better idea than most marinades in the world and it comes in a jar, as our Moroccan pantry guide explains. This is the dish two ways: the whole fish for a table, and the fillet for a Tuesday.
The marinating rule
Chermoula has lemon in it, and acid cooks fish. Marinate too long and the surface turns opaque and mealy, the way ceviche does. The rule is thirty minutes to an hour for a whole fish, fifteen to thirty minutes for a fillet, and never overnight. Rub it on, let it sit while the oven heats, and cook. A second spoon of chermoula on the fish after it comes out of the oven, uncooked, gives the fresh green flavor the heat took away; this is what the cooks in Essaouira do and it is the single most useful trick in the recipe.
The whole fish, for four
A whole fish on a bed of vegetables is the tagine version, done in an ordinary oven. Sea bream, sea bass, red snapper or a small whole trout all work; ask the fishmonger to scale and gut it.
- 1 whole fish, about 2 to 3 pounds, scaled and gutted, or 2 smaller fish
- 4 to 5 tablespoons chermoula, divided
- 2 medium potatoes, sliced thin
- 3 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 1 red or green pepper, sliced
- 1 onion, sliced thin
- A handful of green olives
- 1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon rind, or the zest of a lemon
- Olive oil, salt, black pepper
- Lemon wedges, cilantro, to serve
- Cut three diagonal slashes on each side of the fish down to the bone. Rub 3 tablespoons of chermoula all over it and into the slashes and the cavity. Set aside for 30 to 45 minutes while the oven heats to 425°F.
- Toss the potato slices with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and spread them in a baking dish just large enough to hold the fish. Roast for 15 minutes on their own, since they take longest.
- Layer the onion, pepper and tomato over the potatoes, scatter the olives and preserved lemon, season, and drizzle with oil. Lay the fish on top.
- Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on size, until the flesh at the thickest part flakes when pushed with a knife and reads about 135°F. Baste once with the juices halfway.
- Spoon the remaining fresh chermoula over the fish. Scatter cilantro. Bring the dish to the table with lemon wedges and let people pull the fish from the bone over the vegetables.
The fillet, for two, in twelve minutes
Any firm white fillet, cod, halibut, sea bass, or a piece of salmon, skin on or off.
- 2 fillets, about 6 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons chermoula, plus more to finish
- A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
- A few olives
- Olive oil, salt
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Pat the fillets dry, spread a tablespoon of chermoula on each, and leave them 15 minutes.
- Put the tomatoes and olives in a small baking dish with a splash of oil and a pinch of salt, lay the fillets on top, and roast 10 to 12 minutes, until just opaque at the center.
- Top each with a fresh spoon of chermoula. Serve over couscous or with bread, with the tomato juices spooned over.
At Denver's altitude the oven is unaffected, so the timing holds; the couscous, if it is the instant kind steamed with boiling water, wants a minute longer to absorb, per our altitude guide.
What to serve with it
Couscous, plain or with a little butter and the fish juices. Warm bread. A salad of cucumber, tomato and onion with lemon and cumin. A bowl of matbucha as the cold starter. A dish of olives and a plate of za'atar almonds while the fish cooks. Mint tea after, or a sparkling tea with the meal. The dish is generous and loose, eaten from the center of the table, and it is the natural warm course of the Moroccan snack dinner if you want to build the whole evening.
Beyond fish
The marinade works on chicken thighs, roasted for 35 minutes; on a whole cauliflower, rubbed and roasted until charred; on shrimp, marinated 10 minutes and grilled; on a can of chickpeas, warmed through in a pan with the paste and finished with lemon, which is the vegetarian dinner in the Moroccan guide. A spoon of chermoula in a vinaigrette dresses a grain salad. It keeps in the refrigerator for months, and the jar empties faster than you expect. The chermoula, olives, matbucha, preserved lemons, nuts and tea are at 263 Josephine Street in Cherry Creek, Denver, and ship nationwide from theambrosianpantry.com. The fish is the fishmonger's job, and thirty minutes of marinating is yours.
