Moroccan Fish Dinner

Jeannene is a great lover of seafood and this North-African-spiced grouper really wowed her. The recipe originally came from the Southern Living Cookbook, but I have altered it. I paired it with Martha Stewart’s dilled rice pilaf, a green salad, and basil peaches for dessert, a perfect light summer meal!

Moroccan Broiled Fish

2 cloves garlic, peeled & halved

2 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger

½ c. chopped parsley or cilantro

1 small jalapeño, quartered and seeded

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. smoked Spanish paprika

½ tsp. turmeric

½ tsp. coriander

2 tsp. oil

2 lb. grouper (catfish, snapper, or flounder may be subbed)

Lime wedges for garnish

Finely chop everything but the fish & limes in a food processor. Spread it all over both sides of the fish. Chill for half an hour, then broil about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Serve with lime wedges. 

Dilled Rice Pilaf

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 small red onion, minced

2 c. jasmine rice

¼ c. capellini, broken into pieces about 1” in length

2 tsp. salt

3 c. chicken broth

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill (sometimes, I think subbing dry is fine. Here, I wouldn’t)

In a sauce pan, sauté onion in oil until softened. Add rice & pasta. Cook until pasta is golden brown, being careful not to allow it to burn. Add salt and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add dill and mix well. Serves 6-8.

Basil Peaches

4 peeled, quartered peaches

1 bunch basil

1 tsp. lime zest

½ c. sugar

½ c. water

Real whipped cream or crème fraîche for serving, if you like (you can also do this as a

shortcake or serve it with a crisp tea cookie, amaretti, or shortbread)

Put peaches and basil in a bowl. Bring the rest to a boil together (well, not the cream) over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat and simmer 2 minutes. Pour over the peaches. Chill a couple hours. Serves 4-6.

If you can’t find crème fraîche, you can approximate it by mixing a cup of heavy cream with ¼ c. buttermilk in a glass jar. Cover it with a paper towel held on by a rubber band. Let it stand until it thickens, up to 24 hours. Cover with a proper lid and chill before using.