Baked Snapper in Moroccan Spices

Getting bored with the usual home cooked meals? This recipe will awaken the taste buds as the heady aroma of the Moroccan spices float around your kitchen. It is so easy to prepare and cooks quickly and tastes amazing. Enjoy!

Serves 4

4 x medium sized snapper fillets (or other white fish)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon ras el hanout (see below)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced flat leaf parsley

Tomato sauce

2 tablespoons currant

2 tablespoons verjuice

1/3 cup EV olive oil

1 brown onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped

½ teaspoon ras el hanout

½ teaspoon saffron threads

Zest of 1 lemon in strips

1 x 400gm tin chopped tomatoes

Make the tomato sauce base first by soaking the currants in the verjuice for at least an hour

Preheat the oven to 220° C (fan forced)

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes (until translucent but not coloured). Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the ral el hanout and saffron and cook for 1 minute. Add the currants and verjuice and simmer for 30 seconds. Add slices of lemon zest and tomotoes. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Pour the sauce into a shallow baking dish.

Rub the snapper fillets both sides with olive oil, sea salt and ras el hanout. Place on top of the tomato base and bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven scatter with parsley.

Serve with rice, couscous or millet pilaf.

Note: Ras el hanout is a spice blend used in North Africa. The fragrant spices are typical in tagines and marinades. It can be bought ready made from good food stores.

Or you can make your own using this recipe:

Mix together and store in an airtight container:

1 and 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes

1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Recipe by Linda Krick has been adapted from Maggie Beer’s Recipes for Life Book. A cookbook that is highly recommended. Linda is a Medical Herbalist at the Lotus Centre.