This Moroccan Paprika Fish is flavorful, healthy, and couldn’t be easier to make. Slowly steamed with aromatic herbs and spices, then drizzled in a rich red paprika sauce, it’s an impressive dish that requires very little effort. Whether you’re cooking an easy weeknight dinner or a special holiday meal, you can’t go wrong with this Moroccan-inspired fish recipe.
There are many variations on red paprika-sauced fish in Moroccan cuisine. I like this particular preparation because it’s very easy, light and flavorful. The combination of garlic cloves, sweet red bell peppers and cilantro create an aromatic bed on which the fish steams. Dried chili peppers give it a touch of heat; the end result is fairly mild, but you can up the spice quotient by adding red pepper flakes or a touch of cayenne pepper. The spiced fish is liberally doused in deep red paprika-spiced oil, giving it a wonderful flavor and a very pretty red color.
I originally learned this recipe from Sharone, a family member who is Sephardic Jewish with Moroccan ancestry. It is customary in many Sephardic families to eat fish every Friday night as part of the Shabbat meal. Sharone’s little girl nicknamed this recipe “Maman’s Fish”—Maman is what she calls her grandmother, Sharone’s mom. I like this name, so I have taken to calling it that as well.
You can use any firm white fish fillet for this recipe. We enjoy it with halibut or sustainable sea bass. You want fillets that are thick and firm enough to stand up to a longer simmer; part of what makes the recipe so flavorful is the low and slow cooking process, which allows the fish time to soak up all of the flavors. I think this recipe would be fabulous as the centerpiece of a healthy Seder meal, or for any day of the year. Enjoy!
Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Moroccan Paprika Fish
Ingredients
- 4 fillets white fish, 8 ounces each (best if you use a firm, dense fish like halibut, sea bass or snapper)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, cut into large pieces (you may substitute fresh parsley or basil if you prefer)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into long thin strips
- 5 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 3 large dried red chili peppers
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon paprika (heaping)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- For this recipe, you will need a sauté pan, it’s like a wide, deep skillet with higher sides. Before you start cooking, reserve a few pieces of the cilantro for garnish.Place cilantro, bell pepper slices, garlic and chili peppers in the bottom of the pan to create a “bed” for the fish.Place fish fillets on top of the other ingredients. Season fillets generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle turmeric evenly across fillets.
- Add 1 ½ cups of water to the pan. Cover pan, turn flame on high, and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, reduce heat to medium and uncover the pan. Mixture should be simmering lightly at this point. Allow mixture to simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, basting fillets periodically, until the water reduces by half and turns yellow.
- In a small bowl, mix together olive oil and paprika with a fork. Pour red oil mixture over the fish fillets, coating them evenly. Let the fish simmer uncovered for 20 minutes more, basting frequently. Fish is done when liquid is reduced to about a quarter of what it was originally, and the fish has turned a rich red color.
- Serve fish and bell peppers together with the grain and/or vegetable of your choice. I like to serve it with a starch like mashed potatoes (or couscous, if it’s not Passover); the red sauce from the pan can be poured over the top of the fish and the potatoes. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
NOTES
Nutrition
When you make it for Passover do you leave the table/service to go cook? Is it possible to cook in advance and re-heat or would that be awful?
Hi Kate, I generally make this recipe during the week of Passover and not for Seder. However, this particular fish recipe will reheat well if you are using a firm fish fillet. What I would do is cook it right before Seder starts, take it off the heat, then reheat for a couple of minutes just before serving. You don’t want to overcook it or it will start to fall apart, but reheating for a minute or two should be fine. Enjoy!
Just finished eating this delightful dish! My husband wanted something with fish for dinner so I searched your site and this one caught my eye. I used red pepper flakes instead of whole red peppers and orange roughy for the fish. Very tasty – served with rice since i already had some prepared… I will definitely make this again!
So happy you enjoyed it Deb! 🙂
Hi Tori,
Wonder whether it has to be fish fillet or I can use a whole snapper?
Thanks
Can I use mahi-mahi?
Daniela yes, it should work well.
This looks wonderful–such beautiful color! How deep are the fillets originally submerged in water? From the photo it looks like the water comes half way up. thanks!!
Came across this recipe when I was looking for a different way to serve fish. Loved the fact that all of the ingredients were store cupboard and that it was a simple recipe. The only ingredient I did not have was coriander, so I substituted rocket. We absolutely loved it! Served it with plain boiled rice and mixed salad and accompanied by a glass of dry, white wine, it was the perfect summer meal. I will certainly be making this again.
I know this is an older recipe, but I still feel like I could add something to the conversation. I’m also of Sephardic descent and I can tell you that the fish that is eaten on a Friday is simply a course and does not replace the meat. No traditional Sephardic Shabbat meal would be complete without it! As for the recipe: the way I was thought to make it uses the same ingredients, but a different way to cook. You start with putting olive oil in the pan, you cover that with the spices and then the rest of the ingredients. Try to keep it as low as possible! Then you place the fish on top and carefully add water to the top of the fish. Then over a low fire you cook the fish until almost all the liquid evaporates and a thick red sauce remains. I know it feels unnatural to cook fish for that long, but it’s sooo good when done 🙂
Is this dish spicy, because it calls for three dried chili peppers. Should I use mild chili peppers, or something else (medium, hot)?
Hi Suzy! The dish is not super spicy, actually– the chili peppers flavor the sauce a bit, but they don’t make it a spicy dish (unless you eat them!). I discard them before serving. If you’re sensitive to spice, use mild. If you like a kick, you can use medium or hot– but even using hot peppers won’t make this dish really spicy. It will just add a mild heat. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi, I’m no cook but I had a go at this recipe this evening and we really enjoyed it. I love the fact that I had your photos to follow, it really helped. BTW I had to find out what cilanto is – over here in the UK it’s called coriander.
We thought next time we may try it out on a bed of spinach – hope Maman won’t mind !
Thanks for a glorious website…
Wonderful Claire! So glad you liked the recipe, thank you so much for reporting back! As for the spinach, I bet it will taste great… and I don’t think Maman will mind a bit! 😉
Hey Zack! Thanks for the clarification. I’ve corrected the blog. Nice to have a spice expert on board! 🙂
Hope you enjoy the fish. Shabbat Shalom.
Hi,
I plan to try your Moroccan fish this weekend. I am Israeli Ashkenazi, but my niece Merav, who is Moroccan mixed, makes a version of this dish whenever we Ashkenazis have Gefilte Fish (sweet).
As for the spices, I own a food manufacturing company, and we buy tons (literaly) of spices, including paprika. According to ASTA (the American Spice Trade Association), paprika is only described by its color (in units called ASTA), and country of origin, such as Hungary or Spain. There is no modifier such as “sweet” or “hot”. Also, if you want to enhance the appearance of paprika, add some oil to it and blend. As for what Israelis call “hot paprika”, it’s the same as “hot pepper” or “cayenne pepper”, registering heat (or spiciness) measured in Heat Units (HU), ranging between 20,000 to 40,000.
Shabbat Shalom
Hi Zach, I am Spanish and all my live saw my mother cook with sweet (Dulce) and hot (picante) pimentón, which is the Spanish version of paprika. Actually I have both in my kitchen.
Looks great.
for your readers,
sweet paprika = paprika (0 HU, approx. 100 ASTA)
hot paprika = cayenne pepper (20-40,000 HU)
Zack Melzer
Hey Zack, thanks for the comment. I may be wrong, but I think there is also another spice called “Sweet Paprika.” Either Sweet Paprika or regular Paprika will work for this recipe. Cayenne would be far to spicy, though you can certainly add a dash or two to spice things up!
Here’s an example of Sweet Paprika, which is what I was told to use in this recipe:
http://www.amazon.com/Spice-Hunter-Paprika-Hungarian-1-9-Ounce/dp/B0001M12K4
I am STILL enjoying the DELICIOUS, INCREDIBLE, EVER-SO-TASTY Moroccan Couscous!! I absolutely loved it!! I look forward to cooking it myself :)! I also was blown away by the incredibly yummy Moroccan Date/Coconut Truffles!! Thank you for introducing my taste buds to these fantastic foods! 🙂 xo karen g.
Hi Shirley, no need to go searching. You can use regular red paprika with great results. 🙂
hi tory
my kids hate fish willnot eat it but they ate them all and asked for SECONDS
G-d bless u
seriously
xxxxxx
I just made this for my hubby! HE LOVED IT!!!!! So did I — delicious!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
Sharone, thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I had it again for lunch today. Fabulous as always. Shabbat Shalom! xoxo
WOW! I am truly impressed! The pictures of the recipie in the various stages could have been straight from my “Maman” and My kitchen!
It looks delicious and I love the idea of serving it with couscous.
Have a Shabbat Shalom!
Up until Vatican II in the 1960s, Catholics abstained from meat every Friday… not just the Fridays during Lent. 🙂
this is truly interesting as my daughter was just reading a book about a young girl who’s family was ‘passing’ as Catholic during the dark ages when it was common to be burned at the stake if you were Jewish. I can see, with the Passover holy days coinciding with Lent, how fish would become a Friday meal, old habits die hard…..it would be interesting to see how this tradition came to be. Love your blog, by the way, and wish you only the best in your endeavors.
What was the name of the book your daughter was reading Virginia. Just wondering. thanks. mf.