Name: Moroccan Fish with Chickpeas and Saffron-Lime Aioli
Yield: Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Cuisine: Morocco
Ingredients: 1 garlic clove, finely minced; ½ cup mayonnaise, good-quality jarred such as Hellmann’s, or even better, homemade; 2 tablespoons in fresh lime juice; 1 tablespoon best-quality extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice; 1 teaspoon grated lime or lemon zest; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and freshly ground; cilantro sprigs; Saffron threads; 1 inch thick (bass, snapper, cod, haddock, or other firm-fleshed white fish); 1 to 2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes or 4 to 6 dried red chile peppers, or to taste; 8 large garlic cloves, sliced; 2 pounds fish fillets,; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon ground coriander; 4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 3 cups freshly cooked chickpeas (reserve about ½ cup of cooking liquid) or two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained; Liquid from baking the fish (optional); ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and freshly ground

Preparation info

Yield:
4 to 6
Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Jewish Holiday Cooking

By Jayne Cohen

Published 2008

About

When I first tried this dish, I loved the classic Moroccan flavors, but somehow it seemed as if I were tasting each one separately: chickpeas, fish, and heady spices, disparate notes that didn’t quite harmonize for me. Then I whipped up a batch of Cheater’s Aioli—jarred mayonnaise flavored with saffron and lime—folded It Into the pan juices, and a lovely melody was born.