Saffron Fish With Red Peppers and Preserved Lemon
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:4 to 8 servings
- A few pinches to ½ teaspoon saffron strands
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 3red bell peppers, trimmed, quartered, seeded, then halved crosswise
- 1large red or yellow onion, diced
- 2tomatoes, diced
- 6garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1bunch cilantro, leaves and delicate stems separated and chopped
- Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- 8skinless fish fillets (about 4 ounces each), such as salmon, sea bass, striped bass, whitefish or rockfish
- 1teaspoon ground sweet paprika
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼cup pitted kalamata or green Moroccan olives
- 1preserved lemon, rinsed, chopped (peel and flesh) and seeded (or the juice of 1 fresh lemon)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
116 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 425 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Pour 2 cups of boiling water into a bowl and sprinkle with the saffron strands. Use a spoon to press the saffron strands against the side of the bowl to release the flavor. Cover the bowl with a plate and set aside.
- Step 2
Heat the oil in a large skillet over low. Add the bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, garlic and cilantro stems, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is transparent.
- Step 3
Nestle the fish into the vegetables, sprinkle with the paprika, red-pepper flakes (if using), 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Pour the prepared saffron water over everything. (You can do all of this in advance 1 day in advance, and refrigerate until ready to finish.)
- Step 4
When ready to cook, add the olives and preserved lemon (if using — but if using fresh lemon, that will come in Step 5). Bring the mixture to a boil over high, reduce to low, cover the pan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, basting the fish every 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro leaves during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Step 5
Taste for seasoning and serve, setting the fish on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice, if not using the preserved lemon. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Natasha
We have made our own family’s variation on Moroccan fish hundreds of times. I can assure you that this recipe by no means overcooks the fish.
KLP
I halved the recipe for 2 people for dinner and served it over rice. Excellent. I used one giant red bell pepper and capers instead of olives. It took about 10 minutes for the cod (not quite a lb., cut into four pieces) to cook through. My husband wanted the peppers a bit softer. I liked them as is, tender crisp, but l may try cutting the peppers smaller next time. Don’t skip the preserved lemon.
Erica
I suggest using a medium Dutch oven or stock pot as shown in the photo, not a skillet. The volume of ingredients needs a vessel with higher sides. Made this for the first time and it came out great!
Alan C Brownmd
This is somewhat obvious but If you are only two for dinner you can buy just two servings of fish but leave everything else the same. Then in a few days, buy another two servings of fish and cook it in the leftover sauce of which there is a lot. We had cod the first night and some really nice wild salmon filets two nights later. The salmon won out. This is definitely moving to the top of the company dinners category which is a good way to keep track of meals that are your favorites.
Michael
I think anything more than 5 minutes for fillets would overcook the fish to the point of being inedible. The generally recognized rule of thumb is 10 minutes per inch of thickness. BTW: Rockfish is a local name for striped bass around the Chesapeake Bay.
Ellen Tabor
Thank you! Looking for recipes for my pescatarian son for our Seder for merely three (last year of no crowds, I hope!!) and this will be perfect. This completely Ashkenazic mom thanks you!!
Donna
Preserved lemons can vary widely in size and type. I used only a quarter of a behemoth-sized one and it was plenty. Be cautious if you've never cooked with preserved lemon before - it's an essential flavor, but can overpower! Made this with sea bass tonight and it was wonderful - especially with sweet Spanish paprika and Aleppo pepper.
Jennifer
I agree. I made this with cod and 15-18 minutes low simmer did not overcook fish. I also checked my Moroccan tagine cookbook and the entry for a similar fish recipe also calls for 15-20 minutes. Go for it!!
Megan
Wow! This was absolutely incredible. My notes: Took other' advice and cut the peppers into eights instead quarters. Peppers were perfectly cooked. We used cod just because it's what they had at the store. It was perfectly cooked after 15 minutes of simmering. We used 4 roma tomatoes. We doubled the kalamata olives cause we love olives. :) I had never cooked with preserved lemon, but it was awesome! I did not think it was overpowering at all. Perfectly balanced the dish!
Stacie
Curious where you got your saffron. I found that some from a regular grocery was completely without aroma or taste. I now buy it at Mediterranean groceries and find it’s much better.
MK
Made this dish for friends with salmon and everyone really enjoyed the dish. Only change I made was I added the fish in Step 4 once it was lowered after bringing it to a boil, to avoid overcooking the fish - came out perfect!
Laura
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used mini sweet peppers and halved the recipe. Served it with Israeli couscous. Tip...serve it in a bowl or with bread so you can drink or sop up the flavorful broth.
George
In my opinion this came out lacking flavor. Instead of throwing all the veggies together at the start, I would build the flavor base more slowly. Start with the onions, once they become translucent add the garlic and the cilantro. Saute for a few minutes, then add the spices, before adding the tomatoes and the sweet pepper. Can also consider spices like coriander or cumin, which work great with middle eastern cuisine.
Sally
The flavors in this dish are exquisite. I brought it to a Seder last night, preparing it up through step 3, and then returning it to finish midway through the Haggadah. It came together so easily, and the guests loved it. I used fresh Pacific cod and roasted and peeled the red bell peppers and added them after the onion mixture had softened. I recommend going easy on the salt; the preserved lemon is very salty. I am surprised this dish hasn't received more rave reviews!
mdc
Made as per the recipe, served over rice, and decided it’s a meh for us. It was lacking something to really bring it home, an acid maybe?
Laura
Made this tonight using haddock - it’s a little more budget friendly. It is a bit thinner than the suggested fish so I poached it for about 8 minutes. The sauce was still a little soupy when I finished the fish so I removed the fish and set it aside in a warm oven and turned up the heat to reduce the sauce. Served it all over a bed of quinoa and it was phenomenal!
AMS
Any suggestions please on modifying amounts in this recipe for 6 people for dinner would be helpful - (I’m not a confident cook in this regard) many thanks!
Bob
Omitted the olives and preserved lemon. Substituted one can of diced tomatoes for fresh. Used one pound of walleye fillets. Made a delicious fish soup. Enough to serve four.
IW
Delicious, made for two: cut everything in half and used a large fillet of grouper, worked perfectly.
Michelle
Ok - so I'll read comments before cooking! This was lovely and I agree with other reviews. Make it in a good-sized pot and cut the bell peppers smaller. I'll also half or quarter the olives. I used preserved lemon paste because I couldn't find preserved lemons and didn't want to wait to make my own. Made with monkfish and served with crusty sourdough bread to sop up all the broth. Will make again.
APF
This can easily be a pantry recipe. I made this with canned salmon and canned tomatoes, a few added cherry tomatoes, some ground coriander and cumin and cilantro from my garden. It worked great and I put it over a Mediterranean Lemon Rice. As I said earlier, laying saffron threads on ice chips extracts saffron far better than any other method. Then, add the small amount of melted ice/extracted saffron liquid to the water required by the recipe.
Maxine Davidowitz
Perfect dinner for a Seder. Put it all together and cooked with the salmon for about five minutes, then turned off the flame and let it finish slowly while the Seder was going on. Served over quinoa. Added twice as many olives, sliced the peppers into smaller pieces. Chopped parsley in with the cilantro.
Wiley
Subtle, aromatic and fantastic! The preserved lemon, garlic and sauteed cilantro stalks really provided an unexpectedly lovely and lingering flavor. We used sea bass & followed the recipe (in fact more than we usually do,) other than subbing Aleppo pepper for red pepper flakes, and served over leftover turmeric rice. Just two of us, so lots of sauce leftover, which we are looking forward to repeating this meal again soon!
APF
Saffron - there are better ways. Put the saffron strands on some ice chips in a small bowl. It will release the saffron like nothing else.
val
Family loved it. Preserved lemon (mina brand)was on the small side,will use bigger next time. Thick cod pieces perfectly done in recipe timeframe. Let the saffron steep for an hour. Use more garlic. I only used 1 and 1/2 very large cloves to equal 5 or six smaller. Great with couscous and green salad.
Steve
Has anyone made this dish in a tagine?
Suveer
This is bonkers good. Made it as is, didn't change a thing. Super balanced across the taste and nourishment spectrums.
Deborah VC
Delicious and easy. I used slightly over 1 lb of cod but kept the other ingredients as written. Served it with TJ’s Harvest Blend (couscous, orzo, split peas, quinoa). I couldn’t detect the saffron much because of the other strong flavors. I loved the preserved lemon in this. Very nice meal.
mdc
Made as per the recipe, served over rice, and decided it’s a meh for us. It was lacking something to really bring it home, an acid maybe?
Gaby
This was delicious. I happened to have a nice iranian saffron, and I felt it was exactly right for this dish. Made it with lemon juice, but hopefully, next time, I'll make it with preserved lemons.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
