Category
Bass
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
It's the breakfast of champions! Shakshuka is a beloved Middle Eastern egg dish that's enjoyed all day long. Here, sustainable striped bass is gently poached along with eggs in an aromatic spiced tomato sauce that's made for mopping up with crusty bread.
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, picked
- 1 Tablespoon za’atar, plus more for finishing
- pinch saffron threads
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4-6 eggs
- ½ cup crumbled feta
Directions
- Thinly slice the onion, garlic cloves, and peppers, and set aside.
Remove the skin from the striped bass portions, and cut into chunks about 1½ inches in size. Place in a bowl and set aside.
- Let the veggies sweat in the olive oil until soft and the garlic and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Raise the heat, and stir in the tomato paste, cooking until the tomato paste darkens to a brick red, about 5 minutes. Season with one teaspoon of salt and the sugar, and add in the bay leaf, thyme, za’atar and saffron. Stir together, and let the flavors infuse for another 2-3 minutes.
- Season the fish with the remaining teaspoon of salt. Open the can of tomatoes, and pour it, liquid included, into the pan. Stir well. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, adding in a bit more water if needed to keep the sauce from thickening too much. It should be the consistency of a loose pasta sauce.
- Pat the striped bass chunks dry, then tuck them into the sauce. They don’t need to be fully covered. Make divots in the sauce around the fish, and crack eggs into the holes. Cover with a lid, and simmer very gently for about 10 minutes, until the eggs are set and the fish is cooked. Finish by sprinkling crumbled feta and more za’atar over the top, and serve with crusty bread, family-style.