Easy Moroccan Fish Recipe – Fish In Spicy Sauce

This easy Moroccan fish recipe is brilliant for using frozen fish. The white fish in spicy sauce is not too spicy and can be enjoyed by the whole family. I like to serve mine with gluten free garlic bread.

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Last night I had a rare success with both kids enjoying a meal. It seems that this Moroccan fish stew, or whatever you want to call it, is a hit with children. I hope you and your family enjoy it too.

It’s a great way to make expensive fresh fish go further. It is also a perfect frozen fish recipe if, like me, you never know how to use frozen fish.

What is a Moroccan fish recipe?

I’ve called it a Moroccan fish recipe because it contains the spices often found in Moroccan food. Essentially it’s a lightly spiced fish recipe, or fish in a spicy tomato sauce.

But don’t be put off by the mention of spice. It really is mild and was enjoyed by my very sensitive son, aged 4.

What ingredients do you need?

Red onion

I use red onion in this recipe because it is milder in flavour than white onion. If you don’t have a red onion you could use white onion. If you are following the low FODMAP diet then use the green part of spring onions.

Pepper

I use either a red, yellow or orange pepper. I don’t recommend using green peppers because they don’t have the same lovely sweet flavour. If you don’t like peppers then you could substitute this ingredient for two carrots.

Cumin

Cumin is a classic spice used in Moroccan dishes as well as Indian and Mexican ones. It gives the dish a wonderful deep flavour but isn’t a ‘hot’ spice.

Smoked Paprika

Probably my favourite spice that you’ll see popping up in lots of my recipes. Another classic Moroccan spice but one that I like to put in Mexican dishes and Mediterranean ones too. Again this spice is not ‘hot’, but adds a wonderful flavour to the dish.

Tomato Passata

I use tomato passata a lot in my recipes. It’s so convenient to have in your cupboard. If you didn’t want to use it you could use freshly chopped tomatoes or tinned tomatoes. My preference is for passata because it is smooth.

Sweetcorn

You can use either tinned or frozen sweetcorn in this dish. This adds more vegetables to the dish.

White Fish

You can use fresh or frozen fish in this dish. I prefer to use frozen because it is so much cheaper and it’s perfect for this kind of recipe. Cod, haddock or any other white fish will work.

Coriander

Another favourite ingredient of mine; you can use fresh or frozen. I’ve recently discovered chopped frozen coriander in Tesco which is brilliant to have on standby. It adds a wonderful zestiness to the dish.

Lemon or Lime

I love adding lemon or lime to fish dishes. It brings out the flavours and adds a lovely freshness to the recipe. Always use fresh. The stuff from a bottle just isn’t the same. And little kids really enjoy squeezing lemon or lime slices onto their food.

How do you cook fish from frozen?

As I outlined above you can use fresh fish for this recipe but I highly recommend using frozen fish.

If you are using frozen fish then all you need to do is add it, frozen, to the sauce.

There is no need to pre-cook the fish or even defrost it. Which makes it super easy and a one pot dish with less washing up.

What do you serve with this Moroccan spiced fish?

I personally like to serve this with gluten free garlic bread. While the spicy fish dish is cooking the garlic bread can be made.

Of course you could also serve it with mashed potatoes, chips, rice, quinoa or a slice of bread. I highly recommend trying it with my gluten free bread mix. It makes the most amazing gluten free bread.

Other fish dishes

If you like this fish recipe then you might like some of my other popular fish recipes:

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The full Moroccan Fish recipe

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Moroccan Fish Recipe

This simple Moroccan fish stew is a great way to use frozen fish. It's gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and soya free. Perfect quick family meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Keyword fish is spicy sauce, frozen fish recipes, Moroccan fish recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 183 kcal

Author Vicki Montague, the Free From Fairy

Ingredients

• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 1 red pepper (chopped into small pieces)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 400 ml passata (or a tin of tomatoes)
• 100 g sweetcorn (frozen or tinned)
• 400 g white fish skinned and boned
• Handful chopped fresh coriander (or 1 tbsp frozen chopped coriander)
• 4 slices lemon (or lime) to serve

Metric – US Customary units

Method

1. Place the onion and pepper into a pan and cover with a little water

2. Place the lid on the pan over a low heat and sweat the vegetables for approx. 10 minutes checking the water doesn't evaporate

3. Once the vegetables are soft, add a drizzle of olive oil, and allow the water to evaporate

4. Add the cumin and paprika and cook for a further couple of minutes

5. Add tomatoes, sweetcorn and whole fish fillets

6. Cook on a low heat with the lid off for approx. 10 minutes (for fresh fish), or 20 – 25 minutes for frozen fish. When cooked the fish will easy flake apart

7. At the end of the cooking time, add the chopped coriander and serve in a bowl with a slice of lemon and your chosen accompaniment

Recipe Notes

Nutrition data is for information only.

Nutrition Facts

Moroccan Fish Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 183 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 50mg17%

Sodium 84mg4%

Potassium 917mg26%

Carbohydrates 20g7%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 23g46%

Vitamin A 1630IU33%

Vitamin C 56mg68%

Calcium 39mg4%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.