Happy new year!!

How have you all been doing!? In London we are currently going through our third lockdown or maybe it's the second officially, I am a bit lost to be honest... Interestingly, this time I decided to stick to a slightly "cleaner" diet. Well, I think it's probably the classic 'January feeling' and the post-holiday celebrations/indulgence rather than the actual lockdown.

Between work, everyone always under the same roof and home schooling there hasn’t been much time left to cook for the family! That said, there are a few dishes I have been doing on repeat because they're quick and easy, healthy and always a big hit! Among them, my crispy harissa chickpea Caesar salad, loubia stew with sun-dried tomatoes and kale and also these deliciously fragrant fish fillets!

I came up with this recipe almost two years ago but for some reason I've never got to share it with you! It's like a quicker and faster version of a classic fish tagine. Another thing I love about this recipe is that I can substitute the veggies with pretty much another one and I can also use any type of white fish. And because I always love to add this “petit je ne sais quoi” that makes all the difference, I truly believe the crumbled feta is mandatory here, it gives a nice salty and creamy kick to the whole dish and makes it irresistible. Enjoy with bread, coucous or rice!

Bye bye!

Moroccan spiced fish fillets and bell peppers in tomato sauce

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onions, sliced
1 can chopped tomatoes
60ml vegetable stock or water
1 green bell pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced into strips
1 red bell pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced into strips
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
60g celery, finely chopped
10g finely chopped fresh coriander and more to serve
1 ½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon caster sugar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 sea bream fillets
50g crumbled feta cheese

METHOD

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion slices, cover the pan and leave to cook for about 10 minutes or until they are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.

• Add all the remaining ingredients, except the sea bream fillets and feta. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then re-cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes or until you have a fragrant sauce.

• Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Once the sauce is ready, it’s time to cook your sea bream fillets. Don’t forget that the sauce needs to be warm in order to cook the fish, so if you have prepared the sauce in advance and it’s cold then reheat it before adding the fish.

• Arrange the fillets skin side-up in the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. Sprinkle with feta and chopped coriander and serve immediately with bread, couscous or rice.