Stuffing and baking a big fish

During weekends, my family in Morocco like to gather around easy recipes but which can still feed a crowd. Grilled meat, kofta or fish, vegetables tagine or stuffed big fish which could be maybe made ahead and frozen or the catch of the day in the port.

Today, I don't have a proper recipe for you but rather a few ideas of stuffed and baked big fish. You may just serve it with salads for a complete meal. It's absolutely healthy and loaded with good things.

This stuffed fish can be served hot or cold, especially when you are able to have a deboned fish, you may even cut it and serve it as easy as cutting a baguette.

Be sure to season the fish itself with at least salt and pepper and brush the top with olive oil.

Because fish cooks relatively fast. it's important to have your stuffing cooked or almost there...A big stuffed fish may take from 25 to 1 hour baking in a hot oven, depending on its weight, it's stuffing and wether covered with foil or not.

Stuffed fish with an almost-cooked seafood risotto, a half-way sauteed shrimps and lemon.

Finish stuffing the fish, cover the top with foil and place on a bed of onions, celery and herbs. Ready to bake.

Sautee the mushrooms in olive oil with garlic. Add  the shrimps in the last minute. Season to taste. add any of your favourite herbs.

Brush the inside of the fish with mustard and creme fraiche. Place the stuffing and seal the fish.
Season the skin as well.

Generously stuffed fish with mushrooms and shrimps

Stuffed fish with mushroom and shrimps, baked.

Presoak chinese rice vermicelli, keep it al-dente and strain in a colander. Season with soy sauce, freshly crushed pepper.

Sautee a chopped onion. add grated courgettes and carrots. crushed garlic. You may add red or green bell pepper.. Add chopped squids, fresh chopped mushrooms. Keep the veggies al dente. Season to taste.


Mix all the ingredients. Add harissa, chopped gherkins or green olive for a kick. Add chopped herbs (ideally coriander or chive or parsley). Once the stuffing is cool. Sprinkle some shredded cheese.

The 3rd option of stuffing with vermicelly, veggies and cheese.

If you are going to bake this fish on a bed of tomato sauce or onion or creme, cover the top with a foil so it does not burn first before the sauce or the onion have reduced their juice.


If you want to keep it simple, just consider the foil option: cover the whole fish and let it cook in this closed pocket with the steam. all in a hot oven. Open at the end to reduce the sauce and have a bit of roasting going. Serve with lemon.

We serve this type of meal with some refreshing salads such as:

Plenty of greens and a rich vinaigrette where I like to add chopped onions and coriander

Or in the case where the fish is not filled with starchy stuffing such as rice or vermicelli, we look for it in the wheat and barley found in this salad:

Boiled wheat and barley, mayo and vinaigrette, cucumber, corn, tomato, spring onion, coriander, parsley and canned tuna.

I hope you try any of these ideas...