Today’s recipe is as colourful as it is tasty – Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Chermoula and Lemon Baked Cod. Usually, I won’t post a recipe with more than one component to it, but these three recipes work together so perfectly I couldn’t resist.
Let’s start with the chickpea stew. This recipe has the right amount of spice to it, complementing earthy flavours and a little hint of sweetness (thanks to some honey!). It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare as well, and is a hearty, comforting meal on it’s own.
However, when you add my zesty chermoula? My chermoula recipe really helps elevate the flavours of the chickpea stew. With lemon, coriander and chilli, my chermoula recipe takes less than a minute to make. Honestly, it will be your new favourite dressing!
And who can resist a piece of cod, baked in the oven with sumac and lemon slices? When paired with the chickpea stew and the chermoula, it really is one big bowl of hearty deliciousness, bursting with the flavours of Morocco!
If you’re enjoying a glass of wine with your meal, you’ll want to go with something sweet to balance against the strong and bold flavours from the chermoula, but not too strong to risk diminishing the more subtle tastes of the cod.
A Riesling would work well here, or if you want to be a little more adventurous then a sweeter option such as Umeshu (traditional plum wine) would also balance the delicate flavours well without being overpowered by the Moroccan spices.
Given there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, I think it’s important we skip straight to the Ingredients discussion, to help alleviate any confusion.
Let’s talk Ingredients…
Cloves: These small black nibs have plenty of aromatic flavour but not the nicest of textures. I crush these together with the dried chilli flakes which help them seamlessly blend into the sauce.
Sumac: This bright red spice is made from the dried fruits of a flowering plant common in Asian and Africa. It has an interesting flavour, with what I would call a zesty profile. A little bit goes a long way, and it can be found in the spice aisle of most supermrkets.
Tahini: This sesame paste is used in a lot of North African and Middle Eastern cuisine. Here’s my hummus recipe, which features tahini!. It has a thick texture and an earthy flavour. In this dish, it adds a wonderful creaminess to the tomatoes.
Tomatoes: Always use good quality tinned tomatoes as these contain less juice and more tomato. The more juice and liquid in a tin of tomatoes means the longer they need to be cooked to reduce the excess liquid.
Frozen Spinach: Fresh spinach, which can be cumbersome to reduce. I use frozen spinach in this recipe simply for ease.
Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Chermoula & Lemon Baked Cod
Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Chermoula & Lemon BakedCod
A spicy chickpea stew served with fresh and zesty chermoula, and lemon baked cod recipe.
Ingredients
Chickpea Stew
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 5 cloves
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 x 400g tin diced tomatoes
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 100g frozen spinach
Chermoula
- 100g coriander (cilantro)
- 50g flat leaf parsley
- 4 cloves garlic
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 large green chilli, seeds removed
- 1 large red chilli, seeds removed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
- 1/2 tbsp paprkia
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 100ml olive (or rapeseed) oil
- Maldon seal salt flakes
Lemon Baked Cod
- 4 cod fillets
- 1 lemon, finely sliced
- Sumac
- Olive oil
- 4 pieces of cooking foil
Instructions
Chickpea Stew
- Using a pestle and mortar, crush together the chilli flakes and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then cook the onions for 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add the garlic, chilli and cloves mixture, cinnamon, and sumac and stir through the onions. Cook for 1 minute.
- Next, add the tomatoes and a large pinch of salt, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until thickened.
- Stir through the tahini, honey, chickpeas and spinach. Simmer an additional 10 minutes or until the chickpeas have softened, and the spinach can be stirred through easily.
Chermoula
- Add all ingredients to a food processor, and blitz for 1 minute or until you have a pesto-like consistency. Season with a large pinch of sea salt flakes.
Lemon Baked Cod
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Brush one side of each piece of cooking foil with a small amount of oil.
- Place each cod fillet onto a piece of foil, and sprinkle lightly with sumac.
- Divide the lemon slices amongst the cod fillets.
- Fold over the cooking foil to create pouches.
- Transfer to the hot oven and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Serve the cod over the chickpea stew, and with a generous serving of chermoula on top.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 476Total Fat: 8.8gSaturated Fat: 1.1gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 234mgCarbohydrates: 43.9gFiber: 12gSugar: 12.9gProtein: 56.5g
