This divine, light and incredibly delicate meal was on the table in 30 minutes.  Succulent white fish, gently poached in an aromatic, spiced sauce with a hint of honey and ending with the sharp tang of preserved lemons is going to be a staple at our dinner table.  What a midweek winner!

Prep time:  20 minutes       Cooking time:  30 minutes          $$  Medium Budget

Serves 4

Olive oil for frying

4 x 200gm firm white fish fillets*

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tbs of freshly grated ginger

1 brown onion, halved and sliced top to bottom

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of ground coriander

1/2 tsp of sweet paprika

1/4 tsp of chilli powder

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup of water

3 large, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tbs of honey

1 cup of sicilian green olives

1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 cup of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

4 wedges of preserved lemon, flesh removed and skin thinly sliced

Coriander leaves for garnish

Cous cous to serve

Heat a heavy based frypan and add a little olive oil.  Lightly fry the onion until soft and add the ginger, garlic and lemon rind.  Fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and then add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika and chilli powder.  Stir well until aromatic and then add a little of the water, just to loosen up the bottom of the pan.  Squeeze in the lemon and add the tomatoes, honey, cinnamon stick and the rest of the water.  Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.  Season well with salt and pepper, have a taste and adjust any seasoning if necessary.

Scatter over the olives, parsley and coriander and allow the mixture to simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.   Lay the fish fillets in the pan, scoop over some of the sauce and place a lid on.  Cook the fish on a low simmer for 10-15 minutes or until you can pry the fish apart with a fork.

Cook the cous cous according to packet instructions.

To serve, divide the cous cous among four serving plates or shallow bowls.  Gently place a fish fillet on top and spoon over the sauce.  Garnish with fresh coriander and slices of preserved lemon.  I served this with Moroccan carrot salad…..click on the link to view this recipe http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/moroccan-carrot-salad/