Chermoula Potato and Fish Stew
Published Aug. 30, 2024
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ¼cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
- 1cup flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped, plus more for garnishing
- 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2tablespoons lemon juice
- 2teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- Fine sea salt
- 2medium tomatoes, grated or finely chopped (about ¾ cup); see Tip
- 1¼pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¾cup vegetable stock or water
- 2teaspoons harissa paste (optional)
- 1pound skinless cod fillet (or halibut or other firm white fish), cut into 1-inch chunks
- Bread, such as a baguette, flatbread or ciabatta, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
550 calories; 17 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 32 grams protein; 1041 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Place a large (12-inch) frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, cumin and 1¼ teaspoons salt. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 2
Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cover, adjust heat to low and simmer until the mixture thickens slightly and becomes more fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Step 3
Mix in the potatoes and return to a simmer over medium-high. Add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Cover, adjust heat to medium-low and cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes, stirring once halfway through to ensure even cooking.
- Step 4
While the potatoes cook, make the harissa oil (if using): In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons oil with the harissa; set aside until ready to use.
- Step 5
Lightly salt the fish pieces.
- Step 6
When the potatoes are almost cooked, push them around to make room for the fish. Add the fish pieces, adjust heat to medium, cover and cook until the fish is flaky and the potatoes are cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 7
To serve the stew, drizzle the harissa oil all over the fish and potatoes (if using). Garnish with parsley and serve immediately, with bread on the side to sop everything up.
Tip
- In Moroccan cooking, tomatoes are often grated for tagines or sauces. This technique creates a smooth texture that allows the tomatoes to break down quickly during cooking and intensifies the tomato flavor. To grate, cut the tomatoes crosswise in half. Place the grater in a bowl or on a rimmed sheet pan to catch the juices. With a firm grip, press the cut side of the tomato against the large holes of a box grater and carefully grate until only the skin remains in your hand. Discard the skins.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Alexandre D
Making this tonight as we (or I) speak to beat off the New York City summer heat. Since there’s just one note, I decided to follow the recipe to a T. Opted for Yukon gold potatoes rather than russet potatoes, because it’s still too early for a starshy stew (would definitely swap during the winter months). I’ll have to disagree with the first note stating that ¾ cup of broth isn’t enough. It is if you’re using Yukon potatoes. I can see how it’d become a lot thicker the russet kind.
My notes - more
This was delicious. However I think the 3/4 cup of water or stock called for isn’t nearly enough to make the soupy stew as shown in the photo. Add more, lots more!
tom
I think this was delicious. 4.5 I made two mistakes one was I should’ve cut the potatoes smaller because they were too big to cook in the time so they were definitely more al dente! Secondly, I forgot to add the lemon juice in the beginning, so I added it quite a bit later. This resulted in the flavor, being very bright, which I actually really liked
Audre Engleman
It was very good.I could not find harissa in my grocery store before I made this. I used shirracha instead. When I couldn't find harissa, I assumed I could find a recipe for it on NYTimes Cooking. I did not find one. Is there one and I missed it?
Kathy
Are the herbs measured before or after finely chopping? I chopped them and used a full cup of each and the color or my dish looked nothing like the picture--much more herb-forward.
Wok Don't Run
Excellent, and the taste-to-labor ratio is very high. One adjustment because I had no harissa: I used gochujang and added about 2T lemon juice in addition to the oil. The lemon cut the spicy bite but left a warm, slightly smokey aroma and flavor with just enough of a mild kick. Will make this again, maybe with scallops.
Pao
If cooking with russet id recommend cooking them a little before adding it into the pan just to soften them more.
scout
Would have added more stock and reduced the amount of potato’s.
Volodymyr
Easy to cook. This is not classical Chermoula sauce as Tunisians doing but finally this recipe perfectly works for halibut. My tip: avoid to use greasy filet pieces.
owca
I made this pretty much exactly as written with two exceptions: I had no white fish in my freezer so I used some shrimp, and I used some small red potatoes. They took longer to cook than I expected, but it was really delicious. I'll be adding it to the family soup rotation this winter. Very nice indeed.
DJIS
The photo seems to show some celery in the stew, along with some celery and mint leaves on top. Seems like those would be good additions.
David shepherd
Strayed far; ended w/a Morrocan/Asian marriage of fish stews. Lemon grass (but lime juice, not lemon), anchovy sauce, lots more garlic, ginger, coconut milk, mussel meats, basil added to the ingred list, where you'd expect. No harissa, used sriracha. Apologies to chef Benkabbou, but my riff (can never stop myself) was capital-D-elicious, A+. Next time: clams or shrimp, mint?
Bibi
Mark, my husband and I also have the cilantro soap gene. I just leave it out and add other herbs. I may try this with mint.
Greek Lady
I used fish stock , Asian chile oil and tossed in some very large scallops with the cod. Delicious!
Tom M
What do you do if cilantro tastes like soap?
S
I use flat leaf parsley for fresh herb flavour, and a little lemon zest to replace the citrus taste that only coriander/cilantro has. I've also noted the soup has parsley, mint and celery flowers as garnish so those are other options
Alexandre D
Making this tonight as we (or I) speak to beat off the New York City summer heat. Since there’s just one note, I decided to follow the recipe to a T. Opted for Yukon gold potatoes rather than russet potatoes, because it’s still too early for a starshy stew (would definitely swap during the winter months). I’ll have to disagree with the first note stating that ¾ cup of broth isn’t enough. It is if you’re using Yukon potatoes. I can see how it’d become a lot thicker the russet kind.
My notes - more
This was delicious. However I think the 3/4 cup of water or stock called for isn’t nearly enough to make the soupy stew as shown in the photo. Add more, lots more!
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