Halibut Chraime (Fish in Spicy Tomato Sauce)
By Dominique KhouryPublished on August 7, 2023
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
We prefer to prepare this recipe with halibut, but a similar firm-fleshed white fish such as red snapper, mahi-mahi, or striped bass, that has the skin on and is between ¾ and 1 inch thick can be substituted. Serve the longhorn chiles to diners who want a spicier dish. If longhorn chiles are unavailable, use two jalapeños instead. Serve with challah and, if desired, mseyer (quick-pickled vegetable relish).
Instructions
- Toss tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl. Transfer to fine-mesh strainer set in 2-cup liquid measuring cup and set aside.
- Sprinkle halibut all over with 2 teaspoons salt. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place fish in skillet, skin side down, and cook without moving until skin begins to brown and render its fat, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer fish to large plate.
- Add ¼ cup oil to now-empty skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, longhorn chiles, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until tomato paste has turned deep red, 10 to 13 minutes. (It's OK if oil begins to separate.)
- Add filfel chuma to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add water, lemon zest and juice, reserved chile soaking liquid, and liquid from strained tomatoes (do not discard tomato pieces) and stir to combine. Nestle halibut in sauce, spooning sauce over fish to cover. Bring sauce to simmer, cover, and cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat but leave skillet on burner, and let stand until fish is opaque and registers 130 to 135 degrees, 10 to 13 minutes.
- Using thin spatula, gently transfer fish to shallow platter or individual bowls. Stir tomato pieces into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over fish and drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil. Serve.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Chraime is a wildly flavorful braised fish dish that originated on the Mediterranean shores of Libya. Jewish settlers inhabited Libya until just after World War II; at that time, they left for Israel and Italy, bringing the treasured dish with them. Today, chraime continues to be a meaningful part of the cuisine: It's enjoyed year-round for Friday night Shabbat or on holidays. Our version started with salting fresh tomatoes that we set aside to add at the end of cooking. Then we prepared halibut fillets; their clean, sweet flesh was an ideal backdrop for the lively sauce. After we seared the skin of the fish to render its flavorful fat, we removed the fillets from the skillet. Onions and whole longhorn chiles were then softened in the fat before tomato paste was added and allowed to caramelize. Filfel chuma—a spicy, garlicky, dried chile paste that is a staple of the Libyan-Jewish kitchen—went into the pan next. After it lightly fried, we deglazed the pan with water, lemon juice, the chile soaking liquid, and the water shed by the fresh tomatoes. The fish gently poached off the heat in this mixture until it registered 130 to 135 degrees, which took about 10 minutes. To finish the chraime, we added the salted tomato pieces, which brought freshness and tang to the rich, spicy, earthy sauce.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
We prefer to prepare this recipe with halibut, but a similar firm-fleshed white fish such as red snapper, mahi-mahi, or striped bass, that has the skin on and is between ¾ and 1 inch thick can be substituted. Serve the longhorn chiles to diners who want a spicier dish. If longhorn chiles are unavailable, use two jalapeños instead. Serve with challah and, if desired, mseyer (quick-pickled vegetable relish).
Instructions
- Toss tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl. Transfer to fine-mesh strainer set in 2-cup liquid measuring cup and set aside.
- Sprinkle halibut all over with 2 teaspoons salt. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place fish in skillet, skin side down, and cook without moving until skin begins to brown and render its fat, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer fish to large plate.
- Add ¼ cup oil to now-empty skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, longhorn chiles, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until tomato paste has turned deep red, 10 to 13 minutes. (It's OK if oil begins to separate.)
- Add filfel chuma to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add water, lemon zest and juice, reserved chile soaking liquid, and liquid from strained tomatoes (do not discard tomato pieces) and stir to combine. Nestle halibut in sauce, spooning sauce over fish to cover. Bring sauce to simmer, cover, and cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat but leave skillet on burner, and let stand until fish is opaque and registers 130 to 135 degrees, 10 to 13 minutes.
- Using thin spatula, gently transfer fish to shallow platter or individual bowls. Stir tomato pieces into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over fish and drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil. Serve.
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