Published: 6 February 2022
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Wild or farmed, meagre is a very pleasant-tasting, low-fat fish with a firm yet moist flesh. As a result, it is suitable for a wide range of recipes. Grilled, baked, fried or steamed “en papillote”, this fish does not fall short!
I was surprised to learn that, despite being affordable, delicious and convenient, meagre is still considered a niche product, relatively unknown to the public. In fact, now that I think of it, it wasn’t until I traveled to the South of France that this particular fish became more prominent in my diet.
I decided to turn today’s catch into a delicious and visually-appealing tajine-type dish using a whole meagre. And, let me tell you, the result does not disappoint! It was truly finger-licking good!
I opted for a medley of spices and vegetables, reminiscent of my mom’s delicious Moroccan cooking. Additionally, I incorporated some chervil, a very underrated herb with refreshing flavours that works wonderfully with a variety of fish and seafood, including salmon, tilapia, halibut and, of course, meagre!
Moroccan-Style Meagre
Ingredients
For the fish
- 1 whole meagre (roughly 520g) When buying the fish, you can ask the fishmonger to gut and descale it for you.
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 5 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried chervil
- 1/4 cup spring onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 tsp fresh cilantro (minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
For the vegetables
- 3 long sweet peppers (red and/or green)
- 3 red chili peppers
- 5 tomatoes
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp peanut oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- If it's not already done, descale, gut and clean your fish. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Place the fish in a large oven-safe dish. Add the rest of the ingredients for the fish (cornstarch, olive oil, paprika, dried chervil, spring onion, fresh cilantro and garlic) and massage with fingers to coat evenly.
- Cut all six peppers length-wise and remove the seeds inside. Place them around the fish in the dish.
- Cut the cores from the tomatoes and then slice the top part off each tomato, slicing about one fourth of the way down. Just like the peppers, place them around the fish. Place a couple of top parts of the tomatoes inside the belly of the fish. This will help keep the fish moist while it bakes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients for the vegetables (olive oil, peanut oil, soy sauce and salt). Drizzle the sauce all over the vegetables in the dish.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let the dish marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 250°C (roughly 480°F). Remove the plastic wrap from the dish and cook the dish in the oven for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are roasted and the fish flakes easily with a fork.
