Sardine Tajine

Last week, Bachir asked us to bring some sardines from Fez. But we forgot. So, since we were at the souk on Tuesday, we bought some. The fish, from Al Hoceima, on the Mediterranean coast, was very fresh.

And then, between the construction of a door and , Bachir made us a tajine.

The workers/keepers/cooks at work

I have to reassure you, it's true that Fouad's jacket seems very dirty - well, actually it is, since a few seconds before the photograph was taken he was doing this:

Fouad, preparing the adobe coating with water,
a special kind of earth, and straw

Anyway, the dish was very good, and very easy to make. Once you put the dish on the fire, don't touch it, it cooks by its own and doesn't need to be stirred.



Sardine Tajine
Serves 4

2 pounds of sardines, scaled and cleaned
3 tomatoes, cut in thin layers
2 red onions, in thin layers
3 big potatoes, in thin layers
1 lemon
1 bunch of coriander
1 bunch of parsley
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of some other kind of oil, neutral
Salt
1 teaspoon of hot chili powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 tajine dish

To begin with, put the sardines fillets in the tajine dish. Add the grinded coriander, the spices and the salt, and then mix all of this using your hands.

Then place half of the potates under the fish.

Put the vegetables on the sardines, in that order: the rest of the potatoes, the tomatoes and the onions.
Then place the bunch of parley on top of the vegetables. Add the lemon juice, the oils, and a glass of water.

Close the tajine, and put it on the burner. When it's hot, reduce the heat to a minimum. Let it cook for 2 hours. Don't forget to check on the tajine every half hour or so, and if you feel it's too dry, add a little water.

And when it's cooked, grap a piece of bread, and put your hands in the dish!