Vered's Israeli Cooking

Fish kebab with artichoke and fava bean

Vered Guttman
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Spring is a wonderful time, if only for fresh artichoke and fava bean.

Stuffed artichoke bottoms, with either ground meat or fish, are part of the Moroccan and Tunisian cuisines, and Jewish families serve those for the Passover Seder.

You can use store bought artichoke bottoms, available in the freezer at Middle Eastern supermarkets. It’s also available in cans online. Or you can just make them your own (find the directions here, step number 1.) Alternatively, you can just use frozen artichoke hearts, do not stuff them, but just add them to the stew together with the fish kebabs and fava beans.

Fish kebab with artichoke and fava bean
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Fish kebab with artichoke and fava bean

Recipe by Vered GuttmanCourse: Main courseCuisine: Israeli, Moroccan, Jewish, TunisianDifficulty: Medium
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 
Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 12-15 artichoke bottoms or artichoke hearts, frozen and thawed (or 8-12 whole fresh baby artichokes, see note above)

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (only if you’re using fresh artichokes)

  • For the filling

  • 1 lb. tilapia fillet, or any fish fillet

  • ½ cup grated onion (From about 1 onion)

  • ½ cup chopped cilantro or flat parsley

  • 4 minced garlic cloves

  • ½ Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)

  • 1 egg

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper

  • 1½ teaspoons Kosher salt

  • For the sauce

  • ⅓ cup olive oil

  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped

  • 1-1½ cups water

  • 2 teaspoons dried mint

  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

  • ½ cup chopped cilantro

  • ½ lb. green pea or peeled fava beans (without the pods), preferably fresh

  • For serving

  • couscous or rice (during Passover)

DIRECTIONS

  • If you’re using fresh baby artichoke, you will need to prepare them first. Fill a large bowl half way with water and add a couple of tablespoons lemon juice. Trim the artichokes. Cut off ⅓ from the top of the artichoke, trim the stem and then remove any tough outer leaves, until you’re only left with the tender pale leaves. Drop the trimmed artichoke immediately into the lemon water to prevent browning.
  • To make the fish kebab, finely chop tilapia using a large knife (do not use a food processor, it will make the fish too mushy and the kebab too tough.) Mix fish with the rest of the filling ingredients and mix in a medium bowl using your hands. Use a large ice cream spoon to create equal sized balls.
  • If you’re using artichoke bottoms, stuff each artichoke bottom with a meat ball, pressing it gently into the bottom. Set aside.
  • If you’re using baby artichokes or artichoke hearts, you’re not going to stuff those. Roll the fish balls with your hands and flatten them to thick disks.
  • Put a large pan over medium-high heat, Add 2 tablespoons oil and fry fish kebabs (or stuffed artichokes) on both sides until golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Add the rest of the oil to pan together with garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add a cup of water, mint, salt and lemon juice and bring to boil. Add cilantro and reduce heat to low simmer.
  • Arrange the fish kebab and artichoke back in the pan and spoon the sauce on each one. Bring back to boil, cover pan, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for about 45 minutes. Occasionally, spoon the sauce on the artichokes. Add fava or peas between the artichokes, cover pan again and cook for another 10 minutes. Let stew stand for 5 minutes before serving over couscous or rice.
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