By Joan Nathan
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- 4(256)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Traditionally this Libyan Jewish dish is made with tomato paste, water and fish steaks, and served on holidays like Rosh Hashana. This twist on the classic uses the last of the summer tomatoes, reducing their purée into a thick, concentrated gravy. A few added spices make for a tangy sauce in which to poach sea bass or other fish fillets. Be careful to cook the fish just until slightly firm and flaky to ensure it stays tender. Serve it as an appetizer, as Libyans do, or as a main course. A simple bulgur pilaf makes a nice accompaniment.
Featured in: For Libyan Jews, This Spicy Fish Stew Is the Taste of Rosh Hashana
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Ingredients
Yield:4 main course servings or 8 appetizer servings
- 2large red bell peppers
- 3pounds fresh tomatoes
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1medium yellow or white onion, diced
- 6 to 7garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1tablespoon finely chopped small red chile, like cayenne, habanero or Scotch bonnet
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon ground caraway
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
- 2pounds skinless sea bass, black cod, halibut or bonito fillets, cut into 8 portions
- ¼cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2lemons, quartered
- Harissa paste, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
470 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 654 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast the bell peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet, turning every 10 minutes or so, until tender and charred, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer peppers to a paper bag, seal tightly and let steam, 5 minutes. Peel the bell peppers, then remove the stems and seeds. Slice lengthwise into ½-inch strips; set aside.
Step
2
While the bell peppers roast, blanch the tomatoes: Add enough water to come two-thirds up the side of a large, lidded Dutch oven or pot and bring to a boil. Score the bottom of each tomato lightly with an X. Once the water boils, cook the tomatoes until the skin splits, 1 to 2 minutes, working in batches if necessary. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside until cool enough to handle. Using your fingers, peel the tomatoes, discarding the skin and stems. Purée the tomatoes in a food processor.
Step
3
Rinse and dry the pot, then warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chile and cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step
4
Pour the tomato purée into the pot, then add the cumin, caraway, cinnamon, salt and sugar, if using, and stir to combine. Simmer over medium-low, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt. (Tomato sauce can be prepared one day in advance.)
Step
5
Slip the fish into the warm sauce in a single layer and simmer, covered, until the fish is just cooked and feels firm to the touch, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and carefully spoon some of the sauce onto a serving platter. Using two spatulas, gently transfer each piece of fish to the platter; spoon sauce around the fillets or serve additional sauce on the side. Lay the sliced bell pepper over each piece of fish, then sprinkle with the cilantro and parsley and squeeze with 1 or 2 lemon wedges. Serve hot or at room temperature, with remaining lemon wedges and harissa, if using.
Ratings
4
out of 5
256
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Cooking Notes
phalgal
I submit that this could be done much more simply by using whole peeled canned tomatoes, esp. since supermarket tomatoes have no flavor. I'd also sub red pepper flakes for the spicy whole peppers (better control of the spice level) and jarred roasted peppers rather than heating up my kitchen for an hour to oven roast.
eliane
I want to know how to make it with tomato paste.
Alan
1 teasp. salt? Kind of unimaginative and clearly, one-dimensional. Use chopped olives, capers, and or fish sauce to your taste for more complexity
Gilda Dadush
This is an interpretation of the recipe that my mother in law used to make every Friday (and not just on special occasions). Felfel u Ciuma (Peper and garlic) a paste made of all the spices was kept in a glass jar in the fridge and served as the basis of many Jewish Libyan dishes including this fish dish. Ingredients: 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp cayenne, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 lemon juice, 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 garlic cloves pureed, 3 tbsp water.
terry mckenzie
As others have noted, this recipe piles on a ton of unnecessary work. Canned San Marzino tomatoes and canned roasted red pepper strips make this dish doable - and delicious - on a work night.
Paul Woolf
Used fish plus shrimp, lovely over cauliflower rice
Leah
Regarding the suitability of monkfish for this recipe, the reason that it isn't one of the fish mentioned is that this is a Jewish dish suitable for those who observe the dietary laws of kashrut, and monkfish is not a kosher fish (it doesn't have the requisite scales).
Greg P
This recipe was delicious, taking into consideration the fact that I used canned crushed tomatoes and a jar of roasted peeled bell pepper strips for the sauce and frozen shrimp instead of white fish. Served on top of couscous. Time-saving substitutions are highly recommended.
Fiona Yael
The secret is to cook the tomato base for much longer. The day before intensifies the flavour. Spanish mackerel is great. You can make it faster with tinned tomatoes, but for Rosh Hashanah it deserves a traditional treatment, if you can source decent-tasting tomatoes, not the usual supermarket tasteless ones. Instead of salt, I add a few chopped anchovies. I add 4 red capsic*ms (bell peppers) because these sweet vegetables are so yummy.Serve with cous-cous.
Goodman Peter
Monkfish would work well, cut thick slices, five minutes and turn off flame ... a tablespoon of Scotch Bonnet is mighty hot!! You can also plunge the tomatoes in ice water after 1-2 minutes in boiling water, skin slides right off
CJ
I plan on making this with two large cans of tomato puree, San Marzano most likely. If you've only got tomato paste handy, you'll likely need 3 small cans (24 ozs) mixed with 4-6 cans of water.
janid
This makes a great sauce. Used 2 large cans of whole peeled tomatoes instead of fresh to save on time and cost. It might be interesting to make it with fresh tomatoes but think that is unnecessary unless you have lots of fresh whole tomatoes. It was nice to have something really different for Rosh Hashanah! We used Halibut but think the sauce would be really great to cook shrimp in(obviously not Kosher). This tastes very good at warm or room temperature
Sandy
Definitely freeze the sauce and add the fish at the time of final prep. Cooking the fish in the (thawed) sauce will take only a few minutes. Cooked fish suffer a lot in flavor and texture when frozen.
Chris
This may have been mentioned in previous posts, but if you want fire-roasted peppers, tomatoes, etc. but do not want to heat up the entire kitchen (and waste energy), some other options:1) On a gas cooktop, char items directly on the burner grates, turning frequently with tongs. This will only take a few minutes.2) Use an outdoor gas grill or place items directly on hot coals.3) Go to the hardware store and purchase a basic propane torch. Char the items on cookie sheet under the hood.
Steve
This dish as stated was fantastic - I did change up a few things - I used premium canned diced peeled tomatoes as its winter and the store tomatoes are ho hum at best. I also took someones advice in using a bit of fish sauce and capers with a splash of brine from them in place of salt. I did use the sugar and to my taste it needed it. It was a wonderful dish - A typically great Joan Nathan dish. Its deftly worth of a "party:" I served it with rice for my wife and crusty bread for me
Scott
I made this recipe with haddock, and it was fantastic. I used a fresno pepper instead of a habanero, because my wife doesn't tolerate spicy. Unfortunately, the fresno was too much for her, too. Next time maybe I'll make it without a pepper and just sprinkle some dried habanero over my portion.
Pamela
Just one word: scrumptious!!!
Holly
This was a wonderful sauce for fish. I had some beautiful thick pieces of fresh Atlantic cod which became meltingly delicious when cooked in the sauce. Loved the spice so added a bit more of each but did not use a chili pepper. Per a previous post I opted for pepper flakes to control the amount of heat. Next time I think I will incorporate the roasted peppers into the sauce by using an immersion blender. Took the lead from another post to add green olives, and they were wonderful. A keeper!
Mark
Right on top of pasta!
melissa
i noticed that many people were using canned tomatoes and then pureeing them. I decided to skip the extra step and used passata - saved time and washing an extra utensil. I also skipped the capsciums as i am not a fan, but otherwise followed the recipe, adding capers towards the end for the extra salt kick. For anyone based in Australia, this works a treat with Barramundi, and for my NZ friends, we have also tried it with Harpuka and it was delicious.
Paola
May I ask a question? Not being a native speaker, what is the difference between cumin and caraway? I ask because my dictionary has the same translation for both. Thanks!
Susan Forrest
Paola, I find them very different, but here is a short explanation from the internet: "Caraway and cumin seeds look very similar, though cumin seeds are lighter in color and less curved. However, by taste, the two spices differ considerably: cumin has a warm, earthy, slightly pungent flavor, whereas caraway's licorice and citrus notes are quite distinctive."
{ortez
Blanch the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes? That is not blanching, that COOKING them! Twenty seconds is sufficient is they are ripe.
Cliff Love
If you want to really enhance this dish -towards the end of cooking.......- add one cup of dry white wine and a pinch of saffron in half glass of warm water .....
Greg P
This recipe was delicious, taking into consideration the fact that I used canned crushed tomatoes and a jar of roasted peeled bell pepper strips for the sauce and frozen shrimp instead of white fish. Served on top of couscous. Time-saving substitutions are highly recommended.
Gaby
I substituted fresh for canned tomatoes since I didn't have enough fresh tomatoes on hand. Otherwise I followed the recipe as is. Turned out really tasty. Served it with saffron couscous.
Doug
Cut a corner or two with Canned Crushed imported Italian San Marzanos, and a jar of roasted red peppers, for the sake of time. But I also substituted baked savory tofu for fish in order to let my vegan wife enjoy the recipe. And she did.Had to use mortar and pestle on my caraway seed.
Daniela
Spoke with my mom who was born in Libya and she said the traditional version is usually made without bell peppers :)
Me
Fish doesn't cook real well in pot...took at least 15 mins.
Steve
This dish as stated was fantastic - I did change up a few things - I used premium canned diced peeled tomatoes as its winter and the store tomatoes are ho hum at best. I also took someones advice in using a bit of fish sauce and capers with a splash of brine from them in place of salt. I did use the sugar and to my taste it needed it. It was a wonderful dish - A typically great Joan Nathan dish. Its deftly worth of a "party:" I served it with rice for my wife and crusty bread for me
MegNYC
I love this recipe and have made it successfully a few times. I do substitute canned tomatoes for fresh. It’s a great do ahead recipe. It’s practically impossible to overcook the fish.
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