Spicy Moroccan Fish Cakes in Savory Sauce
The tender, juicy fish patties are cooked in a savory spicy sauce. 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.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 280kcal
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 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp harissa more if you want it spicy
- 1 pinch cumin
- 1 tbsp 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 1/2 for sauce, 1/2 for topping
- 12 cloves garlic
- 2 jalapeño peppers optional
- 1 can chickpeas optional drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp harissa (Moroccan hot paste) optional
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp 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 1/2 a bunch of cilantro. Add about a cup of oil, 2 tbsp of paprika, cumin, turmeric, a 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp harissa, jalapeños, and the can of garbanzo beans. You may add about a 1/4 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, 1/2 tsp harissa, pinch of cumin, about 1-1/2 tbsp 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 1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 45 min. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 3cakes | Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 606mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4009IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg