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Fish, Maghreb and Middle East

Sea bream with chermoula and oven baked potatoes

Sea bream with chermoula is a Moroccan dish where two whole sea bream marinate in a green sauce of cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin and paprika, then bake over potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. For 4 people, it takes 65 minutes, the level is easy, and it costs €4.30 per person. Success depends on fresh fish and potatoes sliced thin enough to cook through at the same time as the bream.

A whole sea bream, marinated in chermoula, baked over a bed of potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, Moroccan style.

Sea bream with chermoula and oven baked potatoes
Total time
1 h 05
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.30
Calories per person
600 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Chermoula gives the sea bream an herby, lively flavor built on fresh cilantro, garlic and paprika, without ever covering up the taste of the fish. As it bakes, the fish juices seep into the potatoes, the tomatoes soften, and the peppers keep a bit of bite, so every part of the dish plays off the others.

This is a good dish for a Sunday or for having people over, since the whole fish looks great brought to the table and gets carved in front of everyone. Kids tend to like it too, since the flesh stays tender and mild if you skip the optional chili, and once it's in the oven there's almost nothing left to watch.

The ingredients

4 people

Fish counter

  • Sea bream (about 600 g each) 2

Fruits and vegetables

  • Potatoes 700 g
  • Tomatoes 4
  • Red bell pepper 1
  • Green bell pepper 1
  • Fresh cilantro 1 bunch
  • Flat leaf parsley 1 bunch
  • Garlic 4 cloves
  • Lemon 1

Pantry

  • Ground cuminoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Paprikaoften in the pantry 2 tsp
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 5 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Fish

The step by step recipe

  1. Blend the cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon juice and oil to make a bright green chermoula.

    Add a pinch of chili if you like some heat.

  2. Make a few slashes in the gutted sea bream, brush them with chermoula inside and out, and let them marinate. 20 min

    Save a spoonful of chermoula for serving, it brightens up the fish once cooked.

  3. Peel the potatoes, slice them thin and parboil them, then arrange them in a baking dish with the sliced tomatoes and the pepper strips. 10 min

    Keep the slices thin, otherwise they'll still be hard by the time the fish is cooked.

  4. Drizzle the vegetables with oil, season with salt and pepper, lay the sea bream on top, then bake at 200°C. 30 min

    The fish is done when the dorsal fin pulls out easily.

  5. Bring the dish to the table as is, with a drizzle of chermoula and lemon wedges on the side.

    Bring the whole fish to the table and carve it in front of everyone.

Our tips to get it right

  • Ask your fishmonger to gut and scale the sea bream for you, it saves time and avoids surprises once it's in the oven.
  • Pick waxy potatoes, they hold up better to oven baking and won't turn mushy under the fish.
  • If the dish looks dry halfway through baking, spoon some of the pan juices back over the vegetables.

The variations

  • Swap the sea bream for cod or hake fillets, cutting the oven time down to about 15 minutes.
  • For a fish free version, spread the same chermoula over eggplant and zucchini slices and bake the same way.
  • To save time on a weeknight, make the chermoula the day before and parboil the potatoes ahead, so all that's left is to assemble and bake.

What to serve it with

  • Bread to soak up the juices
  • A tomato and cucumber salad
  • Mint tea

Storage

This dish keeps for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It doesn't freeze well, since the texture of the fish and cooked potatoes suffers. Reheat gently in the oven rather than the microwave so the flesh doesn't dry out.

Questions about this dish

Can I make the chermoula ahead of time?

Yes, you can make it the day before and keep it in the fridge in a sealed jar. It actually tastes better after resting a few hours before use.

Do I need a whole sea bream for this?

A whole fish stays moister and suits this cooking method well, but you can use fillets if you cut the oven time way down. Plan for about 15 minutes of baking instead.

How do I know when the fish is done?

The dorsal fin should pull out easily when you tug on it. The flesh should also flake away from the bone easily when you test it with a fork.

Can I swap out the cilantro if I don't like it?

You can replace it entirely with flat leaf parsley, the chermoula will be a bit less distinctive but still full of flavor. Keep the garlic, cumin and paprika though, they're what give the sauce its character.

How long does it take to make a sea bream with chermoula and oven baked potatoes?

Count 1 h 05 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a sea bream with chermoula and oven baked potatoes?

About 600 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a sea bream with chermoula and oven baked potatoes cost?

About €4.30 per serving, or €17.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains fish. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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