Chraime is a fish dish of the North African Jewish kitchen, cooked in Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria and brought to Israel by the families who arrived from there, the Libyan community above all. The name comes from an Arabic word for hot, and it is meant: fillets of fish are simmered in a deep red sauce of olive oil, a great deal of garlic, sweet and hot paprika, cumin and tomato, until the sauce turns glossy and the oil rises to the surface in a scarlet sheen. The spelling wanders between chraime and chreime, but the color never does.

It is a dish for the table on Friday night, as the Sabbath begins, and it appears again at Rosh Hashanah and at the Passover seder. A good one is judged, informally but strictly, by how much bread is left over, the ideal answer being none. It is also one of the quickest dishes in this book: the sauce takes ten minutes, the fish another ten, and it is happy served warm or at room temperature, so it can be made before the lights go out and eaten whenever the race allows.

The sauce

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1 to 2 fresh green or red chilies, such as jalapeño
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground caraway
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Pour the olive oil into the deep pan and add the garlic, bell pepper strips and chilies. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, so the garlic softens without browning.
2. Turn the heat to low. Add the sweet paprika, hot paprika, cumin and caraway if using and stir constantly for 30 seconds only.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the water, add the salt and sugar, and stir until smooth. Turn the heat up to medium, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.

The fish

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) thick, firm white fish fillets or salmon fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 large bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 lemon

Method

1. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and sprinkle the salt over both sides. Run your fingers along each fillet and pull out any small bones you feel.
2. Scatter about half of the cilantro over the simmering sauce. Lay the fish in the pan in a single layer, skin side up if it has skin, and spoon some sauce over each piece. Put the lid on and simmer gently over medium low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Carefully turn each piece with the fish spatula, or simply keep spooning the sauce over the top if the fillets are delicate. Cover again and cook for 4 to 6 minutes more, depending on thickness. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of water.
4. Take the pan off the heat and scatter over the rest of the cilantro. Serve straight from the pan or lift the fish gently into the serving dish and spoon all the sauce over it, with the lemon wedges alongside.

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