The fish everyone loves!
Spicy Moroccan Fish Cakes are a classic recipe that will have your mouth watering. The tender fish in a thickened savory spicy sauce tantalizes all the senses. The olive oil, garlic, paprika and a combination of peppers give this dish its huge flavor kick. A big thank you to my good friend and chef extraordinaire, Limor Bendayan, for sharing her recipe.
Growing up
Growing up with a Moroccan mother, we looked forward to every Shabbat, Friday night dinner. As was customary, fish was served as the first dish. Because you don't mess with tradition, my mom usually made fish two ways: 1) whole or, 2) as fish balls. The sauces would vary but true to tradition were usually in a savor spicy sauce or a rich tomato sauce. Our favorite were the Spicy Moroccan Fish Balls.
Cost-effective
The fish balls allow you to use a cheaper type of fish (tilapia, corvina, etc). It's not uncommon to mix a whitefish and salmon either. Both work well and rely on a binding ingredient which was bread crumbs from the prior week's leftover challah or sometimes leftover Matza meal from the previous Passover.
Everyone loves Spicy Moroccan Fish Cakes
One thing for sure is that this Spicy Moroccan Fish Ball recipe is a sure-fire hit with EVERYONE! We hosted a number of college kids one weekend and to our amazement, they were bypassing the roast for seconds and even third servings of these fish balls. The key is to always make at least double what you think you'll serve.
Spicy Moroccan Fish Cakes
Additionally, this is a very sturdy recipe meaning that you can simmer the fish balls in the sauce for a long duration on low heat without worrying about burning them or drying them out.
I hope you will enjoy these amazing and delicious Spicy Moroccan Fish Cakes and make them a part of your tradition.
Check out the Kosher Cowboys other fish recipes here.
Or you can check out all my recipe collection at www.koshercowboy.com.
Spicy Moroccan Fish Cakes in Savory Sauce
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for the fish cakes:
- 2 lbs white fish (or cod, halibut, tilapia or salmon)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp chicken consomme powder
- ½ cup breadcrumbs ( or matzah meal)
- 1 large egg
- 1½ tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon harissa (more if you want it spicy)
- 1 pinch cumin
- 1 tablespoon oil (to bind fish)
- oil (for frying)
Ingredients for the sauce:
- 1½ cups water
- 2 sweet red peppers (cut into big squares)
- 1 large tomato (sliced)
- 2 carrots (sliced)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped (½ for sauce, ½ for topping)
- 12 cloves garlic
- 2 jalapeño peppers (optional)
- 1 can chickpeas (optional drained and rinsed)
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon harissa (Moroccan hot paste) (optional)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
Directions for sauce:
- In the pot where you will cook the fish, add 1.5 cups of water and the sweet red peppers cover the pot cook until pepper becomes somewhat tender (about 10 min). Add water if needed but make sure very little water remains before making the sauce.
- In layers, add to the pot the sliced tomatoes, carrots, garlic cloves and ½ a bunch of cilantro. Add about a cup of oil, 2 tablespoon of paprika, cumin, turmeric, a ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon harissa, jalapeños, and the can of garbanzo beans. You may add about a ¼ cup of water but don't add too much since the fish releases water. Cook the sauce for about 10 min.
Directions for fish balls:
- In a food processor, mince the fish and set in a bowl.
- Next, mince the onion, 1 bunch of cilantro and add to the fish.
- Add bread crumbs, egg, chicken consomme powder, ½ teaspoon harissa, pinch of cumin, about 1-½ tablespoon of paprika, and a drizzle of oil. Mix everything together.
- Wet hands and form fish mixture into 2"-3" balls and flatten them (to form small patties).
- In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add cooking oil and then quickly fry the patties for less than a minute on each side until they become golden brown. Set on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Add the fried fish balls to the sauce pot and sprinkle the remaining ½ bunch of chopped cilantro. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 45 min. Enjoy!
Ashley says
I LOVE this recipe. Make it for Shabbat every week. I mix salmon and tilapia and the flavor is amazing! Thanks for sharing!
npool32 says
That's awesome Ashley! Thank you for sharing. Bon appetit!
Renee Ofner says
I can't wait to try Perla's Challa! It looks and sounds (the recipe) just the challah my mother in law made. I've been searching for that recipe for over 10 years and I'm excited to have stumbled upon it!
npool32 says
Renee, thank you for your message. I'm so happy you found my grandmother's challah recipe. Let me know how closely it resembles your mother-in-law's. Bon Appetit.
Renee says
This was the first time I had this and cooked this. It was delicious and my husband loved it "This one's a keeper". Thank you so much for sharing!
npool32 says
Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad he enjoyed the Moroccan Fish Cakes.