Halibut Chraime (Fish in Spicy Tomato Sauce)

Name: Halibut Chraime (Fish in Spicy Tomato Sauce)
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 , tomatoes (6 ounces each), cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces; 3½ teaspoons, kosher salt, divided; 4 (5- to 6-ounce) skin-on, halibut fillet, ¾ to 1 inch thick; 7 tablespoons, extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 1 large, white onion, chopped fine; 2 longhorn, chile; 1 (6-ounce) can, tomato paste; 1 recipe, recipe plus ½ cup chile soaking liquid; 1½ cups, water; 1 teaspoon, grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice

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By Dominique Khoury

Appears in Cook's Illustrated September/October 2023

Main Courses

Vegetables

Fish & Seafood

Chraime—tomatoey fish that's heady with chiles, garlic, and spices—is a symbol of Jewish-Libyan heritage and home.

SERVES4

TIME1 hour

has video

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 w...

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