Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner
Chraime (Sephardic Spicy Fish in Tomato Sauce)
Chraime (חריימה)
Flaky white fish fillets gently simmered in a garlicky, paprika-rich tomato sauce with cumin, caraway and a kick of chili. This dish is a Friday-night favourite in Libyan and Moroccan Jewish homes, and this version uses less oil and adds sweet red pepper.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 23% · Fat 30% · Protein 47%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 4 fillets (about 600 g)Skinless white fish fillets (cod, hake or halibut)
- 2 tbsp27 gOlive oil
- 8 cloves24 gGarlic, thinly sliced
- 1 medium120 gRed bell pepper, diced
- 1 small14 gFresh jalapeño or other green chili, sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp32 gTomato paste
- 1 tbsp7 gSweet paprika
- 1 tspGround cumin
- 1/2 tspGround caraway
- 1/2 tspCayenne pepper or hot chili flakes
- 1 can (400 g)Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup120 gWater
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 1 tbsp15 gLemon juice
- 1/2 cup8 gFresh cilantro, chopped
Steps
- 1
Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towel and cut any large fillets into serving-size pieces.
- 2
Sprinkle the fish with a pinch of the salt and set aside.
- 3
Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep frying pan over medium heat.
- 4
Add the sliced garlic, diced red pepper and the chili if using, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until soft but not browned.
- 5
Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, caraway and cayenne and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 6
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, water and the remaining salt and stir well.
- 7
Simmer the sauce uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until slightly thickened.
- 8
Stir half the cilantro into the sauce.
- 9
Nestle the fish fillets into the sauce and spoon some sauce over the top.
- 10
Cover and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, reaching 63 °C / 145 °F in the thickest part.
- 11
Drizzle with the lemon juice and scatter over the remaining cilantro.
- 12
Serve hot straight from the pan.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use firm tofu cut into thick slabs or drained canned chickpeas instead of the fish for a vegan version, adding them for the final 8 to 10 minutes just to heat through.
- Swap the fresh cilantro for flat-leaf parsley if you are not a fan of cilantro's flavour.
- Leave out the jalapeño and cayenne for a milder sauce that still has plenty of flavour from the garlic, paprika and cumin.
- Use frozen white fish fillets if fresh is hard to find, thawing them in the fridge and patting them very dry before adding to the sauce.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot. The fish is best eaten fresh because it can turn dry or break apart when reheated, and the cooked fish is not ideal for freezing.
Make ahead
Make the tomato sauce up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, or freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, bring the sauce back to a simmer, then add the fish and cook as directed.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Fish
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (341 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 248 kcal | 73 kcal |
| Protein | 29.8 g | 8.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14.4 g | 4.2 g |
| of which sugars | 7 g | 2.1 g |
| Fiber | 3.9 g | 1.1 g |
| Fat | 8.6 g | 2.5 g |
| of which saturated | 1.3 g | 0.4 g |
| Sodium | 860 mg | 252 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
