Whole Food Wednesdays: Cod with Chermoula (Have you ever heard of Chermoula?)

Welcome to Whole Food Wednesdays. You’re invited to come and share your real food recipes using the linky below. We’re excited to see what yummy things you’ve been creating and what great informational posts and videos you’ve got for us.

Chermoula is a marinade used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cuisine. It has a unique flavor and is wonderfully distinct in flavor. And to answer the question some of you are bound to be thinking, yes I am on a little Tunisian/ Moroccan kick. In the last 30 days I’ve featured Preserved Lemons, Vegetable Moroccan Tagine and Tunisian Spiced Salmon. But I have to admit, if I had to pick a category of flavors to eat for the rest of my life, these would be it. I think what I love about it the most is though the ingredient lists seem to be quite similar, the flavors vary widely from dish to dish. Not unlike Asian cuisine.

Moroccan or Tunisian flavors are also easy to play with, adding more of this, a little of that and adjusting to suite individual taste. This is also true with chermoula. Every chermoula recipe is a little different and one may vary quite drastically from the next. All of them taste amazing and they can be adjusted according to what you have in the house and what you want to slather it on. The possibilities are endless. Consider adding roasted tomato puree or red pepper puree to add a vivid red color. Chermoula recipes that use less paprika tend to be on the green herby side but are equally as lovely.

Who says healthy, baked fish has to be boring? There’s nothing boring about this recipe. Try it on chicken, a meat substitute, or even pork.

Chermoula Sauce

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp preserved lemon finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a small pan, over medium high heat, toast the cumin and coriander seeds, about 1 to 2 minutes. They will become fragrant. Grind the cumin and coriander using a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder. In a food processor pulse all of the ingredients together until a paste forms. If making by hand, place the ingredients in a bowl and combine. Note: Finely chop the cilantro, lemon and garlic for best results.

Cod with Chermoula

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Rinse the cod fillets and pat dry with a paper towel. Evenly spread the Chermoula paste onto the cod fillets.  Place the cod onto the baking tray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes (until cooked through) depending on size and thickness of the fillets.

Serve with your favorite greens.

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Now it’s your turn to share your whole food recipes and ideas!

I’m sharing this with This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Tasty Alternative, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday, and Full Plate Thursday.