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Cooking with Judy: A fish dish worth gathering over

April 13, 2023

They say three’s a crowd, but my friends Barbara Rosen and Barbara Levine and I don’t find that to be so.

We call ourselves Judy and the Barbs – like the Three Musketeers, but without all the blood and swashbuckling. And, we get together occasionally with our friend Elaine Asa for Friday night Sabbath dinner, rotating among our Fullerton homes, sometimes joined by other local or visiting guests.

The host prepares the main dish, and we each bring a dish potluck style.

Our entrée usually is fish. While salmon is a popular choice, I like to try other varieties, like the Moroccan fish featured here, which I plan to serve next time.

I seem to be on a chickpea kick. Chickpeas, otherwise known as garbanzo beans, are great in soups and stews, smashed in sandwiches and, of course, are a main ingredient of hummus.

I love them in salads – do rinse and dry them first. Last week, I roasted them for the first time. The secret is to dry them really well with a kitchen towel and slip off the skins if you can.

Roast in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until nice and crisp. Sprinkle with your favorite spice mixture: chili, curry, even everything bagel seasoning.

I topped an Indian chicken dish with the roasted chickpeas for a bit of crunch. They also make a great snack, but they are crispest used the day they’re made.

Chickpeas are legumes and a healthy source of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. They are full of inflammation-fighting nutrients and low-glycemic carbohydrates. Vegetarians and vegans consider this plant-based protein a staple, as it easily substitutes for meat in savory dishes or for eggs in desserts. Some vegan recipes even call for the canned liquid (called aquafaba) as an egg substitute.

This fish recipe comes from my cousin Abbe’s sister-in-law Martine, who was born in Meknes, Morocco, and emigrated to Israel with her family when she was 8.

In Morocco, this fish is traditionally served for Friday night dinner.

For the sauce, tomatoes are very slowly simmered with lots of cilantro. “Without cilantro, fish is not fish,” Martine instructed. (Despite Martine’s injunction, some people are genetically predisposed to think cilantro tastes like soap. Parsley makes a fine substitute.)

Thinner fillets will cook in 8 minutes or so, thicker steaks in about 15, but longer simmering in this flavorful sauce doesn’t seem to hurt.

In Martine’s family, cumin is served in a shaker at the table, like salt, she told me. I love its flavor with this fish, which has become a favorite in my house too.

Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.

MOROCCAN FISH WITH CHICKPEAS

From “Cooking Jewish” by Judy Bart Kancigor; yields 4 servings.

Martine’s favorite fish choices are salmon and tilapia. Cod, striped bass, whiting, red snapper, orange roughy and ocean perch are other possibilities.

Ingredients:

For fish and marinade:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 to 2 pounds salmon, tilapia, or other fish of choice
White pepper, to taste
Good-quality paprika, preferably Spanish, to taste

For sauce:

5 ripe medium-size to large tomatoes, peeled (reserve juice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 teaspoon good-quality paprika, preferably Spanish
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch saffron threads
1 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste (optional)
White pepper, to taste
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Method:

1. Place lemon juice in a 13-by-9-inch nonreactive baking dish, and dip fish in it, coating both sides. Sprinkle both sides of fish with white pepper and paprika, and set aside to marinate.

2. Sauce: Chop peeled tomatoes, and place them, with their juice, in large saucepan. Add oil, cilantro, garlic, paprika, cumin, saffron, and salt. Cover pan and simmer slowly until tomatoes are very soft, about 40 minutes. Add fish and continue simmering until it is cooked through, 8 to 15 minutes more, depending on thickness. Add sugar if using, and season with white pepper. Add more salt if needed.

3. Arrange chickpeas around fish and continue cooking for a minute or so, just to heat through. Serve immediately, spooning sauce and chickpeas on top.

Orange County Register

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Cooking with Judy: A fish dish worth gathering over

MOROCCAN FISH WITH CHICKPEAS

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