Festive Fish Tagine with Cod and Olives

Serves	4
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Allergy	Fish
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas, Formal Party, Halloween
Region	Moroccan
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A fabulous festive fish dish that is ON the table and ready to eat in under 40 minutes; succulent fresh cod is cooked with warm Moroccan spices, tomatoes, olives and preserved lemons for a spectacular spicy meal which is perfect for a crowd, or for a family meal throughout the festive period. Frozen fish can be used if fresh fish is not available and haddock, hake, monkfish or coley can be used in place of cod.

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
450g to 500g fresh Scottish cod fillets (cut into chunks)
flour to coat fish
2 teaspoons Ras-el-Hanout spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
salt and pepper
1 preserved lemon, finely diced
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon harissa chilli paste
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
12 green olives, pitted
fresh coriander to garnish
couscous or rice to serve

Note

Directions

Step 1	Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or a wok and add the onion, fry over gentle heat for 5 minutes and then add the garlic and fry for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 2	Coat the cod pieces in flour and add to the cooked onions and garlic; stirring well, fry for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the spices, salt and pepper to taste, tinned tomatoes, chopped preserved lemon, harissa paste and yoghurt. Stir well, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes with a lid on the pan. Prepare the couscous or rice whilst the fish tagine is cooking.
Step 3	Take the lid off the tagine and add the olives, adjust seasoning to taste and heat for a further 2 minutes, before serving with couscous or rice, with fresh coriander as a garnish.
Step 4	I also like to serve this with chutney and flat breads.