Tripolitan Chraime

Tripolitan Chraime

Chraime is fish in a concentrated red sauce with garlic and lemon. In the Libyan version the sauce is based mainly on tomato paste, paprika and ground caraway, and it is not a stew rich in fresh peppers like Moroccan fish. Its name most likely derives from the Arabic root for spiciness.

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 30 minutes · Total: 45 minutes · Yield: 6 servings · Difficulty: easy

Why you fry the paste before adding water

Paste straight from the can is sharp and metallic. Two minutes in oil changes its color from bright red to brick red, concentrates the sugar and dissolves the paprika in the fat. Garlic burns quickly, so add it only at the end of the frying and for 30 seconds.

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

• 1 kg steaks of firm white fish — grouper, meagre, mullet, dentex or thick cod
• 200 grams tomato paste
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1/2–1 teaspoon hot paprika or shatta, to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, salt and black pepper
• 500 ml hot water
• Juice of one lemon
• Chopped cilantro for serving, optional

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Frozen fish works if thawed overnight in the fridge and patted dry. Steaks 3–4 cm thick stay juicy. Don’t replace caraway with nigella; if you have no ground caraway, grind the seeds in a spice grinder. Harissa can replace the hot paprika, but it is also salty, so taste before salting.

Method

1. Lightly salt the fish and leave for 10 minutes; pat dry. This seasons it from within and keeps the sauce from being diluted by water on its surface.
2. Bloom the spices. Heat oil in a wide pan, add the paste and paprika and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the paste darkens.
3. Add the garlic and caraway for just 30 seconds, then carefully pour in the hot water. Season and cook for 10 minutes uncovered until the sauce thickens.
4. Cook the fish. Lay the steaks in a single layer and baste them with the sauce. Cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 10–14 minutes, depending on thickness, without turning them over and over.
5. Finish with lemon. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and shake the pan. Wait 5 minutes and serve with bread.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

The calculation assumes a white fish of about 100 calories per 100 grams and all of the sauce. Bread is not included: two thick slices add about 200 calories, and they often soak up more sauce than the fish itself.

Variations and tips

• For a mild sauce, use only sweet paprika and serve the hot stuff on the side.
• A thin fillet needs only 6–8 minutes. Overcooking dries it out and breaks it apart.
• Chraime keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat once and gently.

Summary

The difference between chraime and a spicy tomato sauce is the caraway, the frying of the paste and the sourness that comes at the end. A serving is about 330 calories before bread. More recipes in Tripolitan cuisine, and for another fish version see Moroccan fish.