Tagine bil Hout
“Whole white-fleshed fish stewed in chermoula on a bed of potatoes, carrots, peppers, and tomatoes — Safi and Essaouira's coastal centerpiece.”
Where it comes from
Tagine bil hout is the Atlantic coast's answer to lamb tagine — a whole fish (or thick fillets), marinated in chermoula, slow-cooked over a bed of root vegetables and peppers. The juices from the fish blend into the chermoula and seep into the vegetables. Safi and Essaouira, both port towns, claim it.
On the plate
White fish poached in a chermoula sauce of cilantro, garlic, cumin, and preserved lemon — the broth is herb-green, the fish is barely flaked. Olives sink halfway in. Atlantic coast tagine.
How it works
Chermoula's cilantro essential oils don't survive long cooking — the herbs must be added in two stages: half marinated into the fish, half stirred in at the end. The clay tagine vessel maintains a 95°C ceiling, preventing the fish from overcooking.
Variations
Essaouira coastal version uses sardines; Casablanca refined version uses sea bass; modern Rabat version adds saffron — three intensities of Atlantic fish.
On the Palate
Ingredients
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓- 134 min
Marinate 1.2 kg whole fish (sea bream, sea bass) in 5 tbsp chermoula paste for 1 hour, including inside the cavity.
- 23 min
Layer the tagine: 4 sliced potatoes on the bottom, then 2 carrots in rounds, then 2 sliced tomatoes and 1 sliced green pepper.
- 31 min
Drizzle 4 tbsp olive oil over the vegetables, add 100ml water. Season with salt.
- 43 min
Lay the fish on top of the vegetables. Spread any remaining chermoula over the fish. Scatter 2 preserved lemons (sliced) and 50g cracked green olives.
- 534 min
Cover and simmer over medium-low heat 35-40 minutes — the fish should flake at the thickest point. Serve in the tagine with bread to mop the juices.
