Microwave chraime (spicy North African fish in tomato sauce)
A flaky white fish fillet cooked in a garlicky, paprika-red tomato sauce and served over couscous, the Libyan and Moroccan Friday-night dish made with a kettle and a microwave.
- 18 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 1
- About $2.49 a serving
- 440 calories
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- ⅓ cup couscous
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 5 oz frozen white fish fillets, 1 fillet, thawed
- 1 tbsp cilantro, leaves torn (optional)
From your pantry
- ½ cup water
- 2 pinches salt, divided
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Each serving has about 440 calories, 32 g protein, 54 g carbs and 12 g fat, and costs about $2.49 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No tomato sauce? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the water in the kettle.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Stir the couscous and of salt into the hot water in a bowl, cover with a plate, and leave it 5 minutes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Timer: 5 min
Microwave the olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, cumin and cayenne in a shallow microwave-safe dish for 30 seconds, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Timer: 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Warming the spices in oil first is what gives chraime its deep red color and flavor.Stir in the tomato sauce and the other pinch of salt, cover, and microwave 2 minutes until bubbling.
Timer: 2 min
the fish dry with a paper towel, nestle it into the sauce, and turn it over with the fork so it’s coated.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Dolly’s tip: Forgot to thaw it? Leave the sealed fillet in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.Cover and microwave 3 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes when you press it with the fork.
Timer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: Check the thickest part. If it’s still glassy in the middle, cover it and give it 30 seconds more.Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Fluff the couscous, tip it into a bowl, lay the fish on top, pour the red sauce over, and tear the cilantro over it.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
