Moroccan Fish Balls


The Stuff:

For the fish balls:

  • 350g white fish, finely diced (I prefer cod or red snapper)
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 green chili, finely diced
  • 1 egg
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • a handful of chopped cilantro
  • a handful of chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Never Not Eating Sumac S&P
  • 1/2 tsp Never Not Eating Za'atar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp bread crumbs
  • a pinch of baking powder

For the sauce:

  • 2 large red peppers, sliced into 10 strips
  • 1 green chili, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
  • 4 fresh, large tomatoes, finely diced
  • 4 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 tbsp Never Not Eating Chraime 
  • 1 lemon, deseeded and chopped into tiny cubes
  • olive oil
  • 3 cups water

The Method:

  1. Mix all the ingredients for the fish balls until combined. Make golf-ball sized balls and lay them on a tray. You should have about 25. 
  2. In a saucepan, pour a drizzle of olive oil and fry the fish balls very lightly on a medium heat on both sides — just so they can get a little bit of colour (they don’t need to be fully cooked). Set aside.
  3. In the same saucepan, add another 2 Tbsp of olive oil, the red pepper slices, and the chopped green chili. Fry until they get a nice colour, then add the garlic and lemon, and fry for 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, and the rest of the spices, plus salt and pepper to your taste. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the tomato paste, mix well, and let it cook until it becomes very thick. Then add the water and let the sauce come to a boil.
  6. Add the fish balls and cook on a low heat for about 15-20 min.
  7. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle with cilantro. You can serve it with white rice or couscous, but I love it with simply a thick slice of fresh challah bread and a generous drizzle of tahini.

 

Adapted From My Jewish Learning


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