Asmouka - Spicy Libyan Fish with homemade harissa

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Whole Roasted Fish

1. 1
   Soak the fish with the lemon juice and some of the salt 30 minutes, and rinse with water.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) and grease a baking pan with the olive oil.

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
3. 3
   Pat the fish dry well with paper towels and cut diagonal slashes on both sides.

   Knife

   💡The slashes let the seasoning in and the heat reach the thick flesh near the back, so the fish cooks evenly.
4. 4
   Soak the dried peppers 30 minutes in hot water, drain and remove the seeds.

   Bowl
5. 5
   Grind the peppers in a food processor with the garlic, salt and black pepper.

   Food processor

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
6. 6
   Add the oil in a thin stream, while Tahini, until a smooth paste.

   Food processor

   💡The thin stream is everything: fat that goes in too fast can't bind, and the sauce breaks. For mayonnaise and hollandaise, if this happens, start with a fresh yolk and slowly add the broken sauce to it; if the sauce is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of water.
7. 7
   Mix the harissa, olive oil, garlic, rest of the salt, paprika, hot paprika, cumin and turmeric and spread the mixture over the fish, inside and out.
8. 8
   Place the fish in the greased baking pan.

   Baking pan
9. 9
   Roast the fish in a hot oven (200°C / 390°F) 30–35 minutes, until the meat is white and falls apart easily.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡The fish is done when the flesh near the backbone is white and flakes easily with a fork; a white, opaque eye is another sign.
10. 10
    Scatter the herbs on top.
11. 11
    Serve immediately with bread.