Kim Kushner’s Moroccan Shabbat Fish. Photo by Penny de Los Santos.
Kim Kushner’s Moroccan Shabbat Fish. Photo by Penny de Los Santos.
When cookbook author Kim Kushner became a mother, she followed her own mother’s lead and started making Moroccan fish for Friday night dinner. But, her son didn’t like the whole chickpeas, so started tossing them, along with the carrots, peppers, herbs, and lemon, into a food processor, forming a hearty sauce. The recipe was a hit.
Make-Ahead: The chickpea mixture can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge (do not freeze!).
1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, cut into chunks
¼ of a lemon, skin on, seeds removed, cut into small chunks
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 skinless halibut fillets, about 6 oz. each
Extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
In a food processor, combine the carrots, bell pepper, lemon, and garlic. Process until chopped into small pieces. Add the herbs and chickpeas and pulse 1 or 2 times until all ingredients are chopped into tiny pieces, but not mushy.
In a large sauté pan, heat the light olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chickpea mixture and stir in the turmeric and paprika. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the mixture until bubbly, about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Season the halibut with salt and pepper, and place the fish over the chickpea mixture. Drizzle the halibut with extra-virgin olive oil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and spoon some of the sauce and chickpea mixture over the fish before serving.
