Moroccan cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Loup de Mer à la Marocaine

A whole sea bass rubbed with chermoula, baked in the oven with preserved lemon and green olives.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 whole sea bass (1 kg)
• 1 preserved lemon
• 100 g green olives
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika (sweet)
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 1 lemon
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Wash the sea bass, pat dry and score three times to the bone on each side; soak the saffron threads in 2 tbsp hot water.
2. For the chermoula, finely chop cilantro and parsley and mix with the grated garlic, cumin, paprika, saffron water, the lemon juice, 5 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Rub two-thirds of the chermoula into the scores and the belly cavity and let the fish marinate covered and chilled for 20 min.
4. Quarter the preserved lemon, remove the flesh and cut the peel into thin strips; pit and halve the olives.
5. Place the fish in an oiled dish, top with preserved lemon strips and olives, stir the remaining chermoula with 100 ml water, pour over, and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (top/bottom heat) for 25–30 min until the skin blisters and the flesh is opaque white at the center.
6. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, let rest for 5 min, and serve straight from the dish with the pan juices and bread.