Tajine de sardines à la chermoula — Safi, Morocco

Safi is Morocco's sardine port, and sardines are serious business there. The fish are opened, deboned, and paired two by two around a layer of chermoula — the cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika, and lemon marinade that accompanies every fish dish in Morocco — then arranged in a tagine on rounds of potato, tomato, and pepper, and cooked over low heat until the vegetables are tender. The dish is eaten with bread, dipped into the red sauce. The same stuffed sardines, simply fried in breadcrumbs, are Safi's street sandwich.