michelle picker cooks

Moroccan savoury dishes often include fruit. This recipe, from the cookbook The food of morocco by Tess Mallos, features prunes stuffed with almonds.

To feed four, you will need 900g (2 lbs) of fish fillets. I used ling but any firm white fish will work. Salt the fish and set it aside in the fridge. Soak ⅛ of a teaspoon of saffron threads in a little boiling water and set aside. Lightly toast 24 blanched almonds then push each almond into the centre of a pitted prune and set aside. Slice 2 brown onions and cook them in 30g (1 oz) of butter over low heat until soft and golden. Add ¾ of a teaspoon each of ground ginger and cinnamon and cook briefly until fragrant. Add 1 cup of water plus the saffron and its water and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add the stuffed prunes, 1 teaspoon of caster sugar and 3 teaspoons each of lemon juice and orange blossom water. Cover and continue to simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the prunes are plump. Meanwhile, spread 1 cup of almond meal into a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, beat 1 egg with ¼ of a teaspoon each of ground ginger and cinnamon and some salt to taste. Take the fish from the fridge and dip each piece first into the egg then into the almond meal to coat it. Melt smen (salted preserved butter) or ghee with some salt in a frypan over medium heat. Cook the fish fillets approximately 2-3 minutes on each side, taking care not to burn the almond coating. When the fish is just cooked through, remove it from the pan. To serve, either place it on the onion and prune mixture in the pan or arrange it on a platter surrounded by the onions and prunes. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.