Since we are doing the whole New Years Resolution thing right now, we haven’t been cooking much in the way of ‘postworthy’ food.  But tonight we had some very nice salmon ‘slow cooked’ in the tagine, you could use a Dutch oven or heavy braising pan with a lid. 

We’ve been working hard these past few weeks to eat healthy, low calorie meals.  We were in the mood for eating some of the Chum salmon that I caught recently so we were looking for salmon ideas.  One of the things that can often be hardest when being really strict on a diet is to find food that is satisfying and flavorful.  This is why I thought of doing something Moroccan.  All of the spices and the slow braising sounded both comforting and tasty!

We started with a recipe we found here.  We found that we inevitably changed a few things, but for the most part we were pretty faithful to the recipe.  The two main differences are that I season the fish (salt and pepper) prior to cooking and I make my own tomato paste since everything here is too delicate to use canned.

SALMON TAGINE WITH CHERMOULA
3 tsp        – cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp  – coriander seeds
3 cloves   – garlic, minced
3/4 cup    – extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tsp – sweet paprika (not smoked!)
1/2 tsp    – cayenne pepper, or 1-1/2 tsp harrissa, to taste
3/4 tsp    – kosher salt
1/3 tsp    – black pepper
1-1/2 oz  – fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp    – flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp    – fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4         – roasted red pepper, chopped (plus kosher salt and olive oil for roasting)
1            – whole preserved lemon, pulp removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup   – small cherry tomatoes, halved
6            – Kalamata olives, pitted, halved (these can now be found in the a la carte deli in many Supermarkets)
3 stalks   – celery, cut in half lengthwise, then into 3-inch long slices
1-1/2 to 2 lbs – salmon, cut into 6-8 pieces (plus additional kosher salt and pepper for seasoning)

4-6 cups  – cooked quinoa (we prefer to cook ours in chicken broth)

For the sauce:
3-4       – roasted Roma tomatoes (plus kosher salt and olive oil for roasting), optionally use 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp     – sugar
3 tsp     – lemon juice
2 Tbsp  – olive oil

Roast Veggies

This can be done in advance.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut open the pepper and remove the seeds and veins.  Lightly oil the inside of the flesh with olive oil, season lightly with kosher salt and place flesh side down on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Lightly oil and salt Roma tomatoes and do the same.  Place in oven for 20-30 mins or until the skins begin to wrinkle.  Remove from oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes.  Place in plastic bag or air tight container to cool.  Once cool, peel the skins and rinse lightly.  These can be stored for stored for several days in the refrigerator.

Place chilled roasted Roma tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Place puree in a double lined chamois or cheese cloth and press as much water as possible then hang it over the sink to continue to strain for at least 20 minutes.  The remaining solids will make a tomato paste that you can reserve in the refrigerator.  For an extra smooth paste, press the remaining solids through a metal sieve using a spatula.  Reserve 1 1/2 Tbsp for the recipe.

Season the fish

Pat each piece of salmon dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle generously with kosher salt and pepper.

Make the chermoula

In a small, dry frying pan, toast cumin and coriander until slightly fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and grind thoroughly with a mortal and pestle.  Remove to a large bowl.

In the same pan, sauté garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil until lightly cooked, 1 minute. Add to the mixing bowl, along with paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Whisk well. Add remaining olive oil slowly, then add parsley and cilantro. Then, add chopped red pepper, preserved lemon, tomatoes and olives, to make the chermoula.

Set aside 1/4 of the chermoula. Place fish in a nonreactive glass or ceramic baking dish, and rub on all sides with the remaining 3/4 of the chermoula.

Make the Tagine

In the base of a tagine, Dutch oven, or heavy braising pot, arrange celery stalks to form a “platform” for the fish.

Arrange fish pieces on top, along with the chermoula marinade. 

Make the Sauce

Mix together the sauce ingredients (tomato paste, sugar, lemon juice, oil) and pour over the fish. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan, trying not to wash the chermoula or sauce off of the fish.

Cover and cook on lowest heat for 20-25 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Top with reserved chermoula, and serve over couscous or rice (we ate it with quinoa).