← Nouns Cooking · Moroccan

Ingredients

• 500 g raw prawns, peeled
• 300 g Squid, cleaned and cut into rings
• 400 g firm white fish (hake, monkfish or swordfish), cut into chunks
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 handful Parsley, finely chopped
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp hot sauce or harissa
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Tomato, grated, skins discarded
• 100 g rice or glass vermicelli
• 10 g dried black (wood ear) mushrooms (optional)
• 10 sheets warqa or filo pastry sheets
• 80 g Butter, melted
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 50 g mild cheese, grated (optional)

Method

1. Make a chermoula by mixing the garlic, herbs, paprika, cumin, hot sauce, lemon juice, salt and 2 tbsp of the oil. Toss the prawns, squid and fish in it and leave in the fridge for 30 min.
2. Soak the vermicelli in just-boiled water for 10 min, drain and snip into short lengths. Soak the mushrooms the same way, then slice thinly.
3. Cook the tomatoes in the remaining oil in a wide pan over medium heat for 5 min. Add the seafood with its marinade and cook for 5–7 min, stirring gently, until the prawns are pink and the fish just flakes.
4. Tip into a sieve set over a bowl. Boil the drained juices back in the pan for 5 min until thick, then stir in the seafood, noodles and mushrooms. Leave to cool completely.
5. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush a 28 cm round tin with butter. Line it with 6 overlapping sheets of pastry, brushing each with butter and leaving plenty hanging over the edge.
6. Spread in the filling and scatter over the cheese if using. Fold the overhanging pastry over the top, then cover with the remaining 4 buttered sheets, tucking the edges underneath. Brush with egg yolk.
7. Bake for 30–35 min until deep golden and crisp. Rest for a few minutes, then slide onto a plate and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Tips

• Contains shellfish, wheat, egg and dairy. The filling can be made a day ahead and kept chilled.
• Seafood bastilla is savoury and spicy, never dusted with sugar like the chicken version.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste of Maroc Cooking With Alia