Today we’re heading to Morocco — a country where spices tell stories, and every dish carries the centuries-old traditions of the Berbers and Arabs. We’ll make two iconic Moroccan dishes served at family celebrations and in the medina of Fez.
A generous celebratory dish of slow-braised chicken with lentils and spices, served on a bed of thin, torn msemen flatbreads. The flavor is deep and warming, with pronounced notes of fenugreek and ginger, while the texture combines tender meat, velvety sauce, and softened bread.
Ingredients:
• Whole chicken — 1.5 kg
• Green lentils — 200 g
• Large onions — 2
• Garlic — 4 cloves
• Fenugreek (seeds) — 1 tsp
• Ground turmeric — 1 tsp
• Ground ginger — 1 tsp
• Ground cinnamon — 0.5 tsp
• Ground black pepper — 0.5 tsp
• Saffron (or substitute) — a pinch
• Fresh parsley — 1 bunch
• Fresh cilantro — 1 bunch
• Olive oil — 4 tbsp
• Butter — 30 g
• Salt — to taste
• Water — 1.5 l
• Thin flatbreads (tortillas or ready-made msemen) — 4
Preparation:
Step 1. Preparing the chicken and marinade.
Cut the chicken into 8 serving pieces. Slice the onions into thin half-rings, 2–3 mm thick. Finely chop the garlic. Finely chop the parsley and cilantro, setting aside a few sprigs for serving.
Step 2. Sautéing and starting the braise.
In a heavy-bottomed pot or cauldron, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until translucent and lightly golden. Add the garlic, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, saffron, and fenugreek. Stir and heat for 1 minute, until a vivid spicy aroma emerges.
Step 3. Braising the chicken.
Add the chicken pieces to the pot, turning them several times so that every piece is coated in spices. Pour in 1.5 liters of water, add half the chopped herbs, and season with salt. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Braise for 50–60 minutes. It’s ready when the meat easily comes away from the bone when pressed with a fork.
Step 4. Cooking the lentils.
While the chicken braises, rinse the lentils and cook them in a separate pot of salted water for 20–25 minutes, until tender but not mushy. The lentils should hold their shape but crush easily between your fingers. Drain.
Step 5. Bringing the sauce together.
Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside. Add the cooked lentils and remaining fresh herbs to the broth. Stir, then taste for salt and spices. Simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes. The sauce should be rich and slightly thickened, with visible lentils throughout.
Step 6. Preparing the flatbreads.
Warm the flatbreads in a dry skillet for 30 seconds on each side, then tear them by hand into uneven pieces, roughly 5×5 cm. Arrange them in a single layer on a large serving platter.
Step 7. Assembly and serving.
Generously spoon the hot lentil sauce over the torn flatbreads — the bread should soak it up without turning to mush. Arrange the chicken pieces on top. Pour over the remaining sauce and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve immediately, while the flatbreads still retain a little texture beneath the soaking sauce.
💡 Fact: Rfissa is a ritual dish traditionally prepared in Morocco for a woman who has just given birth. Fenugreek is believed to help restore strength and stimulate lactation. It is one of the few dishes made exclusively for special occasions, not everyday meals.
Juicy white fish fillets baked in a clay tagine on a bed of vegetables with chermoula marinade — a spicy Moroccan paste of cilantro, garlic, paprika, and lemon. The dish is bright and fragrant, with a light tang and succulent vegetables steeped in the fish’s juices.
Ingredients:
• White fish fillets (cod, halibut, or sea bass) — 800 g
• Potatoes — 3 medium
• Red bell pepper — 1
• Green bell pepper — 1
• Ripe tomatoes — 3
• Large carrots — 2
• Pitted green olives — 100 g
• Preserved lemon (or fresh) — 1
• Garlic — 5 cloves
• Fresh cilantro — 1 large bunch
• Fresh parsley — 0.5 bunch
• Sweet ground paprika — 1 tbsp
• Ground cumin — 1 tsp
• Cayenne pepper — 0.5 tsp
• Olive oil — 5 tbsp
• Lemon juice — 3 tbsp
• Salt — to taste
• Water — 100 ml
Preparation:
Step 1. Making the chermoula marinade.
In a blender or mortar, combine 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped cilantro (3/4 of the bunch), paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend or pound into a thick, smooth paste, vivid green with a reddish tint. Season with salt to taste.
Step 2. Marinating the fish.
Cut the fish fillets into serving pieces, 3–4 cm thick. Coat each piece on all sides with the chermoula paste, place in a bowl, cover, and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes — ideally 1 hour. By then, the marinade should have lightly absorbed into the surface of the fish.
Step 3. Preparing the vegetables.
Peel the potatoes and slice them into rounds 5–6 mm thick. Cut the carrots into diagonal slices, 4 mm thick. Seed the bell peppers and cut them into strips 1.5 cm wide. Slice the tomatoes into rounds 5 mm thick. Thinly slice the remaining garlic clove. Cut the preserved lemon into 8 wedges (if using fresh lemon, slice it into thin rounds).
Step 4. Assembling the tagine.
Grease the bottom of the tagine (or a heavy baking dish with a lid) with the remaining olive oil. Layer the ingredients: first the overlapping potato rounds, then the carrots, followed by the bell pepper strips and garlic slices. Lightly salt each layer. Pour in 100 ml of water.
Step 5. Adding the fish and final assembly.
Arrange the marinated fish pieces on the vegetable bed along with any remaining marinade. Tuck tomato rounds, preserved lemon wedges, and olives between the fish pieces. Distribute everything evenly so that each serving gets all the components.
Step 6. Baking.
Cover the tagine and place it in an oven preheated to 180°C. Bake for 45–50 minutes. After 30 minutes, check: the potatoes should be easily pierced with a knife, while the fish should be opaque and separate easily into large flakes when pressed. If the vegetables are still firm, return it to the oven for another 10–15 minutes.
Step 7. Serving.
Remove the tagine lid and sprinkle the dish with freshly chopped cilantro and parsley. Serve straight from the tagine at the table — it’s part of the Moroccan tradition. Accompany it with fresh crusty bread for mopping up the fragrant sauce. The sauce at the bottom should be rich and slightly oily, bright orange-red from the paprika and tomatoes.
💡 Fact: In Morocco’s coastal cities — Essaouira and Agadir — fish tagine is prepared right in the harbor, using the morning catch. Chermoula is a versatile Moroccan marinade whose recipe is more than 800 years old. Every family keeps its own version, but three ingredients remain constant: cilantro, garlic, and cumin.