Chermoula, tomato and fish tagine

Jul 13, 2015, updated May 13, 2025

My Street Food Kitchen is the result of decades of travel to 24 countries across all parts of the globe,” writes London-based food writer, stylist and author Jennifer Joyce.

“Travel feeds the soul, but more importantly, it satisfies curious and voracious appetites.”

But you don’t have to leave home to enjoy exotic dishes from food trucks and markets around the globe. My Street Food Kitchen contains more than 150 recipes, organised into chapters by country from China and Taiwan to America and the Middle East, enabling home cooks to prepare authentic regional dishes as a mid-week meal.

Here, Joyce shares her recipe for a Moroccan fish tagine.

My Street Food Kitchen cover resized
Recipes and images from ‘My Street Food Kitchen’, by Jennifer Joyce, $39.99, Murdoch Books

“The aromas of cinnamon and other spices permeate the streets in Morocco, from the market stalls to the footpaths,” she writes.

“Tagines are made streetside in individual clay pots that bubble away for hours, making dreamy smells for passersby. Essaouira, a windy seaside town, is where I encountered this light stew. After eating a lot of lamb in Marrakesh, it made a refreshing change.”

Chermoula, tomato and fish tagine

Note: The chermoula and the base for the tagine can be made ahead of time, covered and refrigerated until ready to use. Preparation time is 20 minutes, plus 30 to 60 minutes marinating and 25 minutes cooking time.

Ingredients

800g firm white fish fillets
150g small new potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
3cm piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
½ small piece preserved lemon, pith discarded, skin rinsed and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
200ml fish or vegetable stock

Steamed couscous, lemon wedges and chopped coriander leaves, to serve.

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Chermoula

1 large handful of coriander leaves and stalks
2 teaspoons ground hot paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil
2 garlic cloves

Method

To make the chermoula, process all the ingredients with a pinch of salt in a blender until smooth.

Cut the fish into large chunks and put it in a non-metallic dish, pour on half the chermoula and stand for 30–60 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until tender. Drain and set aside.

To make the tagine base, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and ginger, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the remaining chermoula, preserved lemon, tomato paste, cherry tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the fish and cooked potatoes to the saucepan containing the tagine base and cook for 5 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through.

Serve the tagine, sprinkled with extra coriander, steamed couscous and lemon wedges.

Serves 4 to 6

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