I fell in love with Moroccan food on a recent trip to Marrakech. The vegetarian tagines I had almost every day during my trip seemed clean and healthy, and were always incredibly flavourful. I intended to buy a tagine so that I could try to replicate the delicious food, but as I still don’t have one, I thought I’d go ahead and try cooking something anway. I’m so glad I did – this dinner was delicious! My whole family loved it. I am writing this after scoffing the remainder for my lunch, and it was just as tasty the day after.


- 4 boneless and skinless cod fillet (or other white fish)
- 12 small carrots, peeled and sliced thin
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 200 grams green beans, washed and ends trimmed
- 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup washed baby spinach leaves
- 4 prunes or dates, chopped
- 4 tsp paprika (divided)
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon (divided)
- 2 tsp ground cumin (divided)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
- Salt, to taste
- 144g uncooked couscous
- Slivered toasted almonds (optional)
- Pomegranate molasses for drizzling
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Place the carrots, onion and green beans in a plastic bag, along with half the spices, half the olive oil, half the garlic, and some salt. Close the bag tightly and shake it well to coat everything evenly.
- Spread the contents of the bag on a baking tray and roast for 25-30 minutes. Place into a large bowl to cool. Once cool, add the chickpeas and spinach and toss well.
- Using the same bag, place the fish fillets with the remaining spices, garlic and olive oil. Close tightly and mix well to coat the fish evenly.
- Remove the fillets from the bag and place onto a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil. Cover tightly with more foil and place in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
- Cook the couscous according to instructions.
- To serve, place the couscous in the bottom of 4 shallow bowls, top with the vegetables and then a fillet of fish. Sprinkle with the prunes/dates and the almonds. Drizzle with a small amount of pomegranate molasses.
- Serve immediately.