Let me just tell you, this comforting, flavor-packed Moroccan fish recipe will change your fish dinner game forever! A simple braised cod recipe in a saucy chickpea, tomato and bell pepper medley with aromatics and warm Moroccan spices including Ras El Hanout. If you haven't tried it, you need to grab some Ras El Hanout ASAP!
You can serve this fish with 15-minute couscous or your favorite crusty bread. I also like it over this rice. For starters, try Baba Ganoush and a big fresh salad like this simple Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad.
To me, this Morrocan fish recipe is the kind of homey fish stew that you eat with close friends and family. Delicious. Saucy. And wonderfully messy!
You'd better be prepared with some homemade challah bread or your favorite crusty bread to sop up all the goodness!
My Jewish friends tell me that Moroccan fish may be served on Friday night for Shabbat dinner or even at Rosh Hashanah. It's that special!
I've done some research and found several variations of this Morrocan fish recipe. Some recipes call for baking, while others call for stove-top cooking. Some use a lot of paprika, and others are more heavy on the hot chili or cumin. Some include chickpeas, and others don't. And the fish choice may also vary from recipe to recipe.
But all the Moroccan fish recipes I reviewed gave off the same vibe: warmth and comfort! And that's what I went with in my own easy version here.
Don't worry, like my Moroccan Fish Kofta, this version incorporates amazing Moroccan flavors without being too spicy! Best part? It takes little prep and cooks in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients for this Moroccan-Style Cod Recipe
This is basically a braised cod recipe with a big Moroccan twist! My cod fillet pieces were thin enough, so braising stove-top seemed to be the perfect option for a juicy delicious fish. And, as you can see in the photos, I added some chickpeas to make for a heartier fish dinner. Why not throw in a bit of plant-based protein to stretch the meal and make the perfect bed for our fish?!
So let's review the full list of ingredients for this Moroccan fish recipe:
- For the base or saucy part of this fish recipe: extra virgin olive oil, garlic, tomato paste (adds great depth), chopped tomatoes, red bell peppers, water (for the saucy part), and chickpeas (canned chickpeas or already boiled is what you're looking for here.)
- For the Fish: I chose cod fillet. You can change the fish option according to what you have--grouper, sea bass, or halibut will work (I don't typically use tilapia though). The important thing is that the fish fillets are thin enough to cook quickly (mine were about ½ inch in thickness).
-Moroccan Flavor Makers: this is where all the Moroccan warmth comes through! I went for something a little bit different. I did not rely too much on paprika, and I did not add any heavy amount of hot chili. For the star spice, I used Ras El Hanout--a wonderful blend of cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, allspice, cardamom, ginger, mace, nutmeg, and a touch of cayenne. And I did add a bit of paprika and cumin as well.
How to Make this Moroccan Cod Fillet Recipe
This Moroccan fish recipe is fairly easy to make. Like I said earlier, it's a braised cod fillet recipe, so you'll be working stove-top and all you need is a braiser (something like this) or a deep pan with a lid. There are two components or two main steps here:
1) Prepare the saucy chickpea and tomato mixture. In this step, we start by cooking some garlic in extra virgin olive oil.
We build from there by adding tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and bell peppers. And after we get those cooking a bit, we add in chickpeas, water, and fresh cilantro. Season things up and add a bit of Ras EL Hanout (our star spice mixture!) Then, simmer, baby. Simmer!
2) Season and cook the fish in the prepared mixture. So, while the chickpea, tomato, and bell pepper mixture is simmering nicely, we hit the fish fillets up with salt and pepper and coat with a trio of spices: Ras El Hanout, cumin and paprika. It helps to drizzle a bit of quality extra virgin olive oil and give the fish a toss to make sure it's well-coated with the spices.
By the way, if you live in the USA, you can find spices including Ras El Hanout, and our olive oils and more at our Online Shop.
How do I know if my fish is cooked?
If you don't make fish often, you might wonder, "how do I know if my fish is cooked and ready?"
In this recipe, I used cod fillets that are about ½ inch in thickness. They should take 10 to 15 minutes to cook in the saucy chickpea and tomato mixture (the cook time might vary, depending on how thick your fish fillets are.)
When fish is ready, it will become opaque in color and will easily flake. Take a fork to the thickest part of the fish at a 45-degree angle, gently twist the fork and pull some of the fish up. It should easily flake. Under-cooked fish will still look a bit grey and will resist flaking. If that's the case, let it cook a bit more but watch carefully so that you don't end up overcooking your cod.
Interested in more Moroccan dinners? View our collection of Moroccan recipes here.
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BEST Moroccan Fish Recipe
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
Description
This delicious Moroccan fish recipe takes the fish dinner game to a new level of delicious! Braised cod recipe in a saucy chickpea, tomato, and bell pepper medley and lots of warm Moroccan flavors from Ras El Hanout, paprika and cumin.
Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Private Reserve EVOO)
- 8 garlic cloves, divided (4 minced cloves and 4 sliced)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 red pepper, cored, sliced
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cup water
- Large handful fresh cilantro (about 1 cup fresh cilantro)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 ½ tsp Ras El Hanout, divided
- 1 ½ lb cod fillet pieces (about ½ inch in thickness)
- Âľ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ lemon, sliced into thin rounds
Instructions
- In a large pan with cover, heat 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve) over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking.
- Add minced garlic and cook very briefly, tossing regularly, until fragrant. Add tomato paste, diced tomato, and bell peppers. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat, tossing frequently.
- Now, add chickpeas, water, cilantro, and sliced garlic. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Stir in ½ teaspoon Ras El Hanout spice mixture. Raise heat, if needed, and bring to a boil. Lower heat. Cover part-way and let simmer for about 20 minutes. (Check occasionally and add a little water if needed.)
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine remaining Ras El Hanout with cumin and paprika. Season the fish with kosher salt and pepper and the spice mixture on both sides. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Work the fish to make sure it's well coated with the spices and the olive oil.
- When ready, add the season fish to the pan, and make sure to nestle the fish pieces into the saucy chickpea and tomato mixture. Ladle a bit of the sauce on top of the fish. Add lemon juice and lemon slices. Cook another 10 to 15 minutes over medium-low until the fish is fully cooked and flaky. Garnish with more fresh cilantro.
- Serve immediately with your favorite crusty bread, grain, or rice.
Notes
- Find our Private Reserve EVOO and spices including Ras El Hanout, cumin and paprika at our ONLINE SHOP!
- How do you know when fish is ready? When fish is ready, it will become opaque in color and will easily flake. Take a fork to the thickest part of the fish at a 45-degree angle, gently twist the fork and pull some of the fish up. It should easily flake. Under-cooked fish will still look a bit grey and will resist flaking. If that's the case, let it cook a bit more but watch carefully so that you don't end up overcooking your cod.
- How to Store Leftovers? Keep leftovers in a tight-lid glass container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Cuisine: Moroccan
I made this dish but also added 1/2 thinly sliced fennel bulb, 1 small leek sliced, 2 small japanese eggplants cubed, (No bell peppers - do not like those) boosted the liquid to 2 cups to allot for the extra veg, a nice couple pinches of Alleppo Chili Powder (both in broth & fish seasoning) and used 4 Talapia Loins (Costco package) and it was FABULOUS! Yummy! And we got a nice amount of leftovers (4 person family)
Kelli, thank you so much for sharing! I love that you tweaked the recipe to your liking. Aleppo pepper is an awesome spice!
Excellent recipe.
Thank you!
Hi Suzi, last night I made this moroccan fish and was a home rummmmm
Thank you for your delicious recipes
Awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Even the picky husband loved this. I left out the chickpeas for his sake, and it was such a yummy, flavorful meal!!
Oh that's wonderful! Thanks for sharing
Totally hooked on those Moroccan flavors and spices! What a great dinner you're offering us there!
Moroccan dishes have so much flavor! Love that you used cod in this dish!
Delicious! Made this for dinner last night using Flounder fillets. My wife and I both loved it. Although, I went to clean up afterwards and found 4 sliced garlic cloves still sitting in a prep dish? But it was none the less delicious. Thank you once again Suzy!
Wow, this looks and sounds delicious! I love all the flavours in this. I bet it's so good with rice and love the idea of using bread to soak up that lovely sauce!
I love the look of this recipe especially with the ras el hanout spice. I really love fish dishes that are nicely spiced. Its looking good for a meal this weekend. Thanks so much for the recipe Suzy.
So glad, Megan! Enjoy
Thank you so much for the extra virgin olive oil suggestion! I'm with you and like this over rice. The flavor combo is amazing!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try
There is so much flavor in this dish! Growing up, the traditional way of cooking fish in my house was baked in a pan with a lemon sauce. It was done way too often this way and soon I hated lemon sauce...and fish. Now that I'm in charge of cooking I've learned so many ways of preparing fish that do not include lemon sauce and actually taste good! I'm looking forward to adding in this amazingly flavorful dish to my rotation!
So glad to hear it, Betsy! There are so many ways to enjoy fish, and I'm glad you're trying something new 🙂
The flavors in this recipe are absolutely delicious, the lemon and the cumin just makes everything so much better, especially the fish. Thanks for an amazing dish!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My husband loves fish but doesn't get to eat it as often as he'd like. This Moroccan fish is super colorful, it would really brighten a table.
This looks so delicious and full of flavor! Can't wait to try it this week!
Awesome! can't wait for you to try it
This recipe sounds delicious and I want to try it. What could I substitute for cilantro? Will parsley work as well? I know the taste can’t be duplicated but I can’t eat cilantro.