Moroccan · Main course

Essaouira Mixed Seafood Tagine

A generous Essaouira tagine that gathers the day's catch — fish chunks, prawns, squid and mussels layered over sliced potato and pepper in a bright charmoula and tomato sauce, then gently steamed in the clay until everything is just cooked and fragrant. It is the harbour town's celebration of Atlantic abundance in a single pot.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 80 min
Serves: 5
Level: Medium

Ingredients

400 g firm white fish, in chunks
200 g prawns and 200 g squid
300 g mussels, cleaned
3 potatoes, sliced into rounds
1 green pepper and 2 tomatoes, sliced
1 large bunch coriander and parsley, chopped
5 garlic cloves, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne
Juice of 1 lemon and 6 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

1

Make the charmoula

Blend the herbs, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, lemon and olive oil into a marinade and coat all the seafood; rest 20 minutes.
2

Layer the base

Line the tagine with potato rounds, then pepper and tomato slices, seasoning each layer and spooning over some charmoula.
3

Par-cook the base

Add a little water, cover and cook 20 minutes until the potatoes are nearly tender.
4

Add seafood

Arrange the fish, squid and prawns on top, cover and cook 12 minutes, then add the mussels and cook until they open.
5

Serve

Spoon over the remaining charmoula and serve straight from the tagine with bread.

Chef's tips

Cook the potatoes first; the quick-cooking seafood goes on top only once the base is nearly done.
Add each type of seafood in order of cooking time so nothing turns rubbery.
Keep the liquid modest — the seafood and tomato release plenty as they steam.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose different seafood?

Yes; use whatever is freshest — the tagine is designed to showcase a mixed catch, so adjust the proportions to what your fishmonger has.

Why layer it rather than stir?

Layering lets the potatoes cook in the base while the delicate seafood steams gently on top without breaking up or overcooking.