Moroccan Chermoula Shrimp and Rice

About This Recipe

Chermoula is the herb-and-spice marinade that defines much of Morocco's fish and seafood cooking — a blend of cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika and lemon that's used both to marinate seafood before cooking and as a finishing sauce. This dish uses chermoula-marinated shrimp folded into a saffron-tinted rice, drawing on Morocco's coastal cooking traditions where seafood, warm spices and rice or couscous come together in one pot.\n\nThe technique worth getting right here is marinating the shrimp in the chermoula for at least 20 minutes before cooking, which lets the garlic and spices actually penetrate rather than just coating the surface, and then cooking the shrimp separately and folding them into the finished rice so they don't overcook while the rice simmers.\n\nPreserved lemon, a Moroccan pantry staple, is stirred in at the end for a briny, slightly funky brightness that fresh lemon alone can't replicate — if you don't have it, fresh lemon zest and juice is a reasonable substitute, though the flavor will be brighter and less complex.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 450 glarge shrimp(peeled and deveined)
• 0.5 cupfresh cilantro(chopped, divided)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced, divided)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 0.5 tspground coriander
• 0.25 cupolive oil(divided)
• 2 tbsplemon juice
• 1onion(diced)
• 1.5 cupslong-grain rice(rinsed)
• 0.25 tspsaffron threads
• 2.5 cupshot fish or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsppreserved lemon(rind only, finely chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the chermoula

   Combine half the cilantro, half the garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, 3 tbsp olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Toss shrimp in the mixture and marinate at least 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Cook the rice

   Heat remaining oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and remaining garlic, cook 5 minutes until soft, then add rice and saffron and stir 1-2 minutes to toast.

3. 3

   Simmer

   Pour in hot stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15-18 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Rest covered off heat 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Cook the shrimp

   While the rice rests, heat a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the marinated shrimp 1-2 minutes per side until just pink and opaque.

   Cook the shrimp separately from the rice rather than adding them raw — this keeps them from overcooking while the rice finishes steaming.

5. 5

   Combine and serve

   Fluff the rice, fold in preserved lemon and remaining cilantro, then top with the cooked shrimp and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Use white fish fillets, cut into chunks, instead of shrimp for a different texture with the same chermoula flavor.

• •

  Add green olives along with the preserved lemon for a briny, more traditional Moroccan fish-tagine flavor profile.

• •

  Skip the saffron and use a pinch of turmeric for color if saffron isn't available — the flavor will be milder but the color will still be vibrant.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a covered pan with a splash of water — shrimp can toughen quickly in the microwave, so low heat is best.

Frequently Asked Questions