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Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli

Moroccan Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli (7ota maamra )

Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli this stuffed baked fish is considered one of the finest dishes often served at weddings, family banquets, and special occasions. It can be prepared for lunch or dinner with various fillings, such as today's filling, which consists of vermicelli noodles and shrimp, accompanied by vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and zucchini
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 10
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: moroccan
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

💠1. Ingredients for the Fish Marinade
  • 4 kg large fish (4 kg or more)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • â…“ preserved lemon
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Paprika (Sweet Red Pepper)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp ground dried coriander
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes (Harissa optional)
  • 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp Fish Seasoning or Mixed Herbs
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
💠2. Ingredients for the Fish Filling ( Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli )
  • 4 g vermicelli noodles
  • 250 g Fresh Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 250 g Fresh Shrimp
  • 150 g green olives, sliced
  • 500 g Carrots
  • 1 liter hot water
💠3. Vegetables Marinade (Chermoula) Ingredients
  • 500 g carrots
  • 500 g green beans
  • 500 g Broccoli
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • tsp paprika
  • 4 tbsp finely chopped coriander
  • 1 clove of garlic finely minced
💠4. Potato Tray Ingredients ( Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli )
  • 1 kg potatoes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp fish seasoning
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 5 tbsp olive oil

Equipment

  • 1 Large Oven Tray.
  • 1 Parchment Paper (Baking Paper).
  • 1 Kitchen Twine or Toothpicks (to close the fish).
  • 1 Steamer Pot (for vegetables).

Method
 

💠How to Clean the Fish (Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli)
  1. You can ask the fishmonger to clean the fish, remove the bones, and extract the spine so that it becomes a fish fillet.
  2. Alternatively, you can do it yourself.
  3. Start by removing the scales, fins, and gills, as they add a bitter taste, as well as the fish entrails.
  4. Wash away any blood and professionally remove the bones gently, extracting the spine without letting the fish fall apart.
  5. However, if it crumbles slightly, that is fine; you can leave the meat inside.
  6. Widen the abdominal opening as much as possible to accommodate the largest amount of filling.
💠1. Preparing the Fish Marinade (Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli)
  1. Thoroughly mix all the spices together, then coat the fish entirely on the inside and outside.
    Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli
  2. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for a while so it absorbs the spices.
    Brushing fish with Chermoula inside and out
  3. Keep the remaining marinade to add to the filling.
  4. Now, proceed to prepare the filling.
💠2. Preparing the Fish Filling (Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli)
  1. 1. In a small pot, bring one liter of water to a boil, then add the clean shrimp shells, a bay leaf, a garlic clove, and a little bit of thyme.
  2. Let it boil for 15 minutes, then strain it. Add 400g of vermicelli noodles to the boiling shrimp shell broth. Let it sit for 5 minutes; you will notice it has doubled in size. Drain the noodles and cut them slightly so they aren't too long.
    Pouring shrimp broth over the vermicelli
  3. 2. In a frying pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil, then add the shrimp with a pinch of salt. Sauté for only 5 minutes. Increase the heat to let the shrimp liquids evaporate, then let it cool slightly and cut each shrimp in half.
  4. 3. In a large bowl, place the noodles, add the chopped shrimp, 150g of sliced green olives, and the remaining marinade.
    Adding Chermoula and olives to vermicelli
  5. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
    Mixing vermicelli, Chermoula, and shrimp
💠Cooking Instructions ( Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli )
  1. Stuff the fish with the noodle and shrimp mixture, filling it well to utilize the extra space inside the fish.
    Filling the fish with the vermicelli mixture
  2. Seal it tightly with parchment paper, then wrap it securely again with aluminum foil.
    Wrapping fish in parchment paper and foil
  3. Place it in the oven at 200°C for one hour.
  4. Once the fish is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes while still wrapped in the cooking paper.
  5. Remove the paper when serving. Take the sauce or the fish juices, reduce them until concentrated, and pour over the fish just before serving.
  6. Serve with sautéed vegetables.
💠3. Preparing the Accompanied Vegetables
  1. 1-Steaming Phase
  2. First, bring a pot of water to a boil and place a perforated steamer basket on top.
  3. To prepare the broccoli, cut it into equal-sized florets, sprinkle with a little salt, and place in the steamer. Let it cook for only 10 minutes.
  4. To prepare the carrots, cut them into circles, place them next to the broccoli, and leave until tender.
  5. To prepare the green beans, cut them into sticks (or finger-lengths), place them next to the carrots, and leave until tender.
  6. After the vegetables are cooked, let them cool slightly so they hold their shape and do not crumble during seasoning.
  7. 2-Seasoning with Chermoula Phase
  8. Place the chermoula spices in a bowl (black pepper, salt, cumin, paprika, finely chopped coriander, and minced garlic) and mix well.
    A Moroccan-patterned bowl with spices and finely chopped parsley
  9. In a frying pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and add one tablespoon of chermoula. Add the green beans, stir occasionally for 5 minutes, and remove.
    Green beans with Moroccan chermoula
  10. In the same pan, add another tablespoon of chermoula, add the broccoli, stir, and leave for 5 minutes.
    Sautéed broccoli with spices
  11. In the same pan, add the remaining chermoula, add the carrots, and leave for 5 minutes.
    Chermoula-seasoned carrot rounds in a frying pan
  12. To learn how to prepare (marinated carrots khizou mchermel ), click here
  13. In the same pan, add a tablespoon of chermoula and add the shrimp (with shells). Let it cook for approximately 7 minutes, then garnish the fish with it and lemon slices.
    Sautéed shrimp in a frying pan
💠Preparing the Potato Tray (Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli)
  1. In a bowl, combine all the spices: one teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric, fish seasoning, mustard, hot sauce, and thyme, along with 5 tablespoons of olive oil.
    A bowl with spices, mustard, and oil
  2. Cut the potatoes nicely into sticks or cubes.
  3. Mix everything together until every piece of potato is well coated.
    A large bowl of potatoes with spices
  4. Place on parchment paper and bake in the oven at 200°C for half an hour, or until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
    A baking tray of seasoned roasted potatoes in the oven

Notes

  • If the shrimp is the pre-cooked and frozen type, there is no need to cook it in the frying pan, as it will be cooked inside the fish.
  • Ensure the quality of the fish; check whether it is fresh from the sea or sourced from farms, especially for salmon and shrimp.
  • Every kilogram of fish requires 20 minutes in the oven.
Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli
( Stuffed Fish with chines vermicelli )