Chraime with eggplant, fennel, and sole fillet
A delicious stew recipe inspired by Israeli cuisine. By simmering the fish slowly on low heat, it cooks gently in the spicy tomato sauce. Easy, tasty, and full of flavor!
Heat a splash of olive oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed frying pan and cook the bell peppers, chili, anchovies, garlic, eggplant, and fennel for 10 minutes, until everything is soft but without browning.
Grind the cumin, fennel, and caraway seeds in a mortar. Stir in the paprika powder. Add the tomato paste. In a bowl, roughly mash the peeled tomatoes with a potato masher and add them to the pan. Turn the heat to low and add the bay leaf. Let the sauce simmer gently for 40-45 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, gradually add a ladle of fish stock. Taste the sauce and add lemon juice to your liking.
Submerge the sole fillets in the sauce. Cook the fish on low heat for 10-15 minutes, ensuring the sauce is just simmering gently.
Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce by mixing the lemon juice and garlic with the tahini. The sauce will thicken slightly. Turn it into a dressing by gradually adding water while whisking.
Sprinkle the chraime with cilantro and serve with the tahini dressing.
