Chermoula is a Moroccan herb sauce with smoked paprika. It provides a boost of flavor to a dish. Chermoula is used as a marinade and/or sauce and goes with just about anything. From grilled chicken and lamb to fish.
In this dish we smear the plaice fillet with the sauce and we cook it in the oven for fifteen minutes. It gives the plaice a fresh, earthy and spicy taste. Together with the sourness of the lemons, it really is a perfect combination.
What kind of fish is plaice?
The plaice, like the halibut, belongs to the flatfish family and is related to the sole, dab and the flounder. The plaice is easy to recognize by its orange dotted skin. Plaice, like pike perch, is a lean white fish and has a fairly neutral taste.
The preperation
It’s not a difficult recipe. First of all, we make the chermoula. For this, we throw all the ingredients in a food processor and mix everything into a coarse mixture.
For the fish, we make a rectangular package of aluminum foil in which we place the plaice fillets. Then we cover the fish with the chermoula.
We leave the couscous in a bowl with boiling water for a while, so that the water is absorbed. Then we add the vegetables to it. I let the couscous cool down a bit myself, because I like it better that way.
Oven-baked plaice fillet with chermoula and couscous
Ingredients
- 4 plaice fillets without skin (200 g each)
For the chermoula
- 20 gr parsley leaves finely chopped
- 10 g coriander finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika spicy
- 1 tsp black pepper ground
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 2 lemons Juice
- 200 ml olive oil extra virgin
- 3 tbsp water
For the couscous
- 200 g couscous
- olive oil
- 200 g green asparagus tips
- 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp feta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Chermoula
- Place all ingredients in a food processor. Grind everything into a coarse sauce. Not too smooth.
Plaice
- Pat the plaice fillets dry with some kitchen paper.
- Make 4 packages of aluminum foil in which the plaice fillets can lie separately. Fold the sides up slightly so the sauce doesn’t run out.
- Spoon 2/3 tablespoons of chermoula over each plaice fillet and rub this over the fish.
- Place the fish in the oven and cook it for 15 minutes.
Couscous
- Put the couscous in a bowl together with 400 ml of boiling water. Cover this with aluminum foil and let it stand for 5 minutes until the water has been absorbed.
- Put a dash of olive oil in a frying pan or wok and stir-fry the asparagus tips for 4 minutes until they’re al dente.
- Break up the couscous with a fork. Add the asparagus tips together with the feta and sun-dried tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the fish from the oven. Spoon the couscous onto the plates and place the plaice fillet on the couscous. Enjoy your meal!
