Baked Fish Tajine

This is one of my favourite methods of cooking fish because you can just pop it in the oven and do other things while dinner cooks itself. I also love that it doesn’t make your entire house smell like fish, unlike other fish cooking methods. A tajine is just a Moroccan version of a stew. I’ve used a commercial harissa which is available from good delis or online. It’s also really easy to make your own.

enough for: 2
takes: 25 minutes
2 fish fillets
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 tablespoon harissa
150g (5oz) quinoa
1 bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves picked

1. Preheat your oven to 200C (400F). Bring a medium pot of water to the boil.

2. Oil 2 squares of foil. Place a fish fillet on top of each. Top with the tomatoes. Mix Harissa with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and drizzle over the fish. Season with salt.

3. Fold the foil to seal your two parcels. Place on a baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes when you touch it.

4. Meanwhile simmer quinoa for 10 minutes. Drain and leave to steam and cool in the colander.

5. To serve season quinoa and toss in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and half the coriander. Divide between 2 plates. Top each with the contents from the fish parcels and finish with the rest of the coriander.

Variations

carnivore – replace fish with chicken breasts or thighs. Increase cooking time to about 30 minutes or slightly less.

vegetarian / vegan – replace fish with field mushrooms or sliced eggplant. Increase cooking time to about 30-40 minutes.

different grain / no quinoa – serve with couscous, brown rice, farro or white rice (cooked according to the packet).

no harissa – make your own or replace with 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons chopped red chilli with the seeds removed.

more substantial – serve with pita bread or other flat bread. You could also serve with roast sweet potato or steamed spuds or just add extra quinoa or cous cous.

more veg – add other veg to the packages such as chopped red bell peppers (capsicum), small mushrooms, sliced zucchini, snow peas or green beans.

different/more herbs – basil, mint, flat left parsley, oregano or baby spinach.

paleo (gluten, grain + dairy-free) – replace quinoa with diced roast veg or serve tajine on a bed of cauliflower ‘couscous’ or rice instead of quinoa.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

fish – I try and use fish on the same day or next day that I buy it. Can be frozen in plastic bags. Or you can poach the fish using the recipe here and then just gently reheat in the poaching liquid to serve.

cherry tomatoes – either halve and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes (180C / 350F) OR just cook in a pan with a little oilve oil. In either case store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few weeks. Or freeze the cooked tomato for longer periods.

harissa / quinoa – keep in the pantry.

coriander (cilantro) – freeze it in a plastic bag.