Prawn Tagine with Tomato, Olives, & Caramelized Oranges

Tagine is not only a slow-cooked dish, but also the vessel in which it’s cooked in. Traditionally made from clay, the cooking vessel has a round base with low sides. A cone-shaped cover sits on the base when cooking to create steam. The steam circulates in the cone and drips down as condensation over the meat, fish, or vegetables and keeps it moist. Because of this, very little cooking liquid is initially needed when making tagines.

Tagines are made from different materials now, but if you’re interested in buying one, look to see what will work best for you. Glazed clay, unglazed clay, and ceramic all perform differently — some can only reach certain temperatures before cracking. Moroccan Zest has helpful tips, including which tagine to buy, how to season it, clean it, and care for it, plus recipes!

You don’t necessarily need a tagine to make a tagine, but who doesn’t love buying new kitchen equipment? And the beauty of a tagine? It’s truly a one-pot dish, including its own serving vessel. Plop a trivet on the dining room table and set the tagine on top! No additional platters necessarily.

We riffed on our March menu by substituting sliced oranges instead of preserved lemons. You can also use sliced lemons for this as well. For this recipe, we’re using a cast iron pan for simplicity’s sake.

Prawn Tagine with Tomato, Olives, & Caramelized Oranges
serves 3-4

shopping list —

• U12 head on prawns, use at least 4-5 per person

• 1-2 oranges, thinly sliced with the rind on

• 3-4 tomatoes, (or for better flavor, some fresh and some canned if out of season), diced

• 1 chili, sliced — if desired

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 bunch thyme

• 1-2 cardamom pods

• olive oil

• green olives

equipment —

• cast iron pan or tagine

steps —

1. Clean the prawns, keeping their heads and tails on, but removing the rest of the shell. De-vein.

2. Heat a cast iron until hot. Add a good amount of olive oil and then add the sliced oranges (they may spit). Cook on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring often and allowing them to caramelize.

3. Add the tomatoes and allow them to release their juice and begin to cook down.

4. Add the chili, minced garlic, cardamom pods and sprigs of thyme. Season with salt. Allow to cook down into a sauce, adding splashes of water if needed.

5. Nestle the prawns into the sauce and cook until just pink. Flip and continue to cook until done. Take off the heat and add the olives.

6. Serve with couscous, rice, or with toasted bread.