Preserved Lemons For Moroccan Fish Tagine Recipes

Steps:

• Place lemons in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Transfer to a clean 1-cup glass jar with a lid; add lemon juice. Cover jar and let stand at room temperature for 7 days, shaking jar daily to distribute salt and juice.
• To store lemons, add enough olive oil to cover and refrigerate for up to 1 year. Rinse lemons before using.

Steps:

• Scrub lemons thoroughly under cold running water. Cut each lemon into quarters, but do not cut all the way through the top, so that the lemon still holds together.
• Rub lemons generously with salt inside and out and along all the cuts. Place them in a large sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add lukewarm water to cover; the lemons should be fully immersed. Screw on the lid and let cure for 1 month in a dark, dry, and cool place.

Steps:

• Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until toasted and fragrant; grind to a fine powder. Transfer cumin to a mortar or jar of a blender and add garlic, salt, paprika, parsley, cilantro, pulp of preserved lemon, and olive oil. Puree to make a charmoula, using a pestle or by blending.
• Rinse fish and pat dry. If using monkfish, cut away grey membrane and divide the fish into 4 equal pieces. Rub half of the charmoula all over fish; let stand for 1 hour at room temperature or up to 24 hours, refrigerated. Add 1/2 cup water to remaining charmoula, cover, and keep refrigerated.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread 2 tablespoons reserved charmoula over the bottom of a tagine; sprinkle with carrots and celery. Add half of the tomatoes and bell peppers; top with fish and drizzle with some of the charmoula. Add remaining tomatoes and bell peppers and spread remaining charmoula over top.
• Chop preserved lemon peel and sprinkle around fish along with olives and bay leaves. Cover tagine with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.
• Remove tagine from oven and pour liquid from dish into a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat until thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup; pour back over fish.
• Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Baste fish with pan juices and bake, uncovered, in top third of oven until a crust has formed over the vegetables, about 10 minutes. Transfer tagine to a wooden surface or a folded kitchen towel to prevent cracking. Garnish with cilantro sprigs; serve warm or hot.