

Chermoula is a marinade and sauce enjoyed across North Africa’s Maghreb region — once known as the Barbary Coast — which encompasses Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.
All these Arabic-speaking nations border the Mediterranean Sea. While this delicious sauce is typically used with fish or shellfish, it’s also delicious with meats and poultry.
Northwest and Alaskan rockfish feature a mild, versatile flavor and firm, flaky texture — many locals consider it more flavorful than cod.
Rockfish Chermoula
Prep time 10 minutes; Cook time 15 minutes
Serves 4
Chermoula sauce
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil (plus 2 Tablespoons reserved oil for cooking)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup chopped and packed cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Fish
4 rockfish fillets (about 5 oz. each), fresh, thawed or frozen
- Place all sauce ingredients in food processor; pulse just until almost smooth.
- Pat rockfish dry with paper towel. Place fillets into non-metallic flat dish/pan; spread one tablespoon sauce onto top of each fillet; turn fillets over and spread an additional tablespoon onto second side. Let fish rest 5 to 10 minutes before cooking.
- Heat 2 tablespoons reserved oil in large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. (You could grill the fish, but use a mesh fish basket to keep it from flaking apart and falling through the grate.) Cook 3 to 5 minutes per side for thawed fish. Cook just until opaque throughout. Drizzle remaining sauce over fillets before serving.
Nutrients per serving:
501 calories, 38g total fat, 5.5g saturated fat, 69% calories from fat, 60mg cholesterol, 33g protein, 6g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 403mg sodium, 47mg calcium and 860mg omega-3 fatty acids.