Fish tagine with saffron, honey & preserved lemons
Prep
20 mins
Cook
30 mins
Servings
6
Difficulty
Medium
This is one of my favourite weeknight dinners because it comes together in just fifty minutes and tastes like you've spent hours perfecting it. The combination of saffron, honey and preserved lemons creates this gorgeous sweet and savoury depth that makes the fish and prawns sing. I love that saffron isn't just beautiful and aromatic, but it's also packed with antioxidants that support your overall health. The best part? You can have this stunning Moroccan inspired tagine on the table before you know it, making it perfect for busy evenings when you want something special without the stress.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 400 mlsfish stock
- 1saffron(Generous pinch saffron threads)
- 500 gramscod fillets(skinless white fish fillets (such as cod), cut into chunks)
- 250 gramsfrozen raw king prawns(defrosted)
- 1½ tbspolive oil
- 1onion(chopped)
- 3 clove/sgarlic cloves(garlic, finely grated)
- 1red chilli(halved, deseeded and chopped)
- 1½ cmginger(peeled and finely grated)
- 2 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- ½cinnamon stick
- 600 gramsplum tomatoes(skins removed, roughly chopped)
- 1½ tbspclear honey(plus more to taste, if liked)
- 40 gramsraisins
- 1 tsptomato purée
- 25 gramscoriander(stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped)
- 2 tbspground almonds
- 2belazu beldi preserved lemons(preserved lemons, flesh removed and discarded, rind cut into slivers)
- 1 tbsptoasted flaked almonds(to serve)
- 1lemon juice(to taste (optional))
- 2 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1 clove/sgarlic clove(garlic, finely grated)
- 25 gramscoriander(leaves chopped)
- 1lemon(juice of ½)
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan, then crumble the saffron into it and take it off the heat. Stir and set aside, so the saffron can flavour and colour it. Blot the fish and the prawns dry with kitchen paper. Put everything for the marinade in a bowl and add the fish and prawns. Turn it all over with your hands, then cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- 2
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, wide frying or sauté pan big enough to cook the tagine in. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until soft and golden, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, chilli, ginger, cumin, coriander and cinnamon stick. Stir these around for a couple of minutes, or until you can smell the fragrance of the spices.
- 3
Stir in the tomatoes, coat in the spices and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until you are left with a thick purée. Add the honey, raisins and tomato purée. Season. Stir in the coriander stalks and the saffron stock. Stir and bring to the boil. Reduce until the sauce is thicker and has reduced by about ½, about 5-10 minutes.
- 4
Add the ground almonds. Taste and season. Turn the heat down to low. Season the fish and add it, along with the marinade, to the tomato sauce. Cook gently for 3-4 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, and the prawns are pink, opaque and cooked through. Be careful not to overcook the fish. Carefully stir in the preserved lemon. Taste for sweetsour balance and seasoning. You might want to add a tiny bit more honey, lemon juice or salt. Scatter the coriander leaves and flaked almonds on top. Serve with couscous or flatbread, if liked, and the cucumber salad (below).
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