
Fish pot cooked mchermel style. Photo: Nada Kiffa | Taste of Maroc
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Mchermel, m’chermel, mcharmel or mshermel are all transliterations of the Arabic word مشَرْمل, which means “marinated.” In Moroccan cooking, there are two usages of this word.
In a general sense, mchermel can simply refer to a step when something is marinated. In a more specific sense, mchermel is a style of Moroccan cooking in which a dish calls for the use of a marinade before and during cooking. It’s the latter definition that we’re looking at here.
Definition of Mchermel
In the Moroccan mchermel style of cooking, the cook marinates a main ingredient—meat, chicken, fish, offal or vegetables—with a spice and/or herb mixture such as the iconic chermoula, then cooks it in a chermoula-seasoned broth or sauce.
We can at a basic level chermel or marinate something and set it aside to infuse before cooking. Many Moroccan dishes require this step to ensure the meat tastes its best. As example, you can marinate a bird before cooking it m’qualli-style or m’hammer-style. However, those dishes are not considered mchermel style because additional marinade is not used to flavor the cooking sauce.
It’s the use of marinade to flavor the cooking sauce that defines mchermel as a cooking category all its own. Mchermel dishes usually have a reddish hue and an herby, lemony sauce in which preserved lemons and green or purple olives have imparted their goodness. Grated tomatoes are often cooked in the sauce, bringing a pleasant acidity and even lightness, particularly when the dish calls for a good amount of olive oil.
The most famous Moroccan dishes calling for the mchermel style of cooking include a baked fish and vegetable tray and its stovetop cousin, the classic chermoula-marinated fish tagine. Fish balls in tomato sauce is another example, as is the highly popular Shakshuka tagine with meatballs (which we locally call KBM after its Arabic name, kefta bel bid wa matisha).
Try cooking beef or sheep tongue or any offal in a mchermel style and you will be in for a treat. If that doesn’t appeal to you, then perhaps you can try cooking vegetables this way, starting with the delicious Bdenjal Mchermel – Eggplant in Chermoula.
This recipe for Moroccan Fish Tagine with Chermoula and Vegetables is one of the most popular ways to prepare fresh fish in Morocco. First the fish is marinated in a zesty herb and spice mixture called chermoula, then it's layered with potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and green peppers in a tagine for slow braising. Traditionally tagines are cooked over a fire or charcoal in a special brazier, but these days it's more common to see home cooks using a stove instead.…
Chermoula adds zesty flavor to both the chicken and the spinach stuffing in this Moroccan steamed chicken recipe. A short roast in the oven gives beautiful color.
A traditional Moroccan offal dish of marinated lamb or calf brains cooked in tomato sauce. It’s especially popular during Eid al Adha.
These bite-sized savory biscuits get their flavor from chermoula, a classic Moroccan marinade. A crunchy, satisfying snack or tea time nibble.