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Main course Fish & Seafood

Food Flavour DNA

Nutritional Values

🔥560kcal
💪42gProtein
🌾19gCarbs
🥑35gFat
🌿5gFibre
⚖️430 gServing

* Per serving · 430 g. May vary.

Allergens

🐟 Fish

Sardine Kefta Tagine

How to order / say it
Say it طاجين كفتة السردين — [sar-deen kef-ta ta-jeen]
Order Sardine kefta tagine, please.
Locally من فضلك طاجين كفتة السردين
Say locally

Fresh sardines are minced with herbs, shaped into balls, and simmered in spiced tomato sauce.

Why try it?

Agadir is Morocco's great Atlantic sardine port, and this dish turns the day's catch into a beloved home-style meal. It captures the city's fisherfolk economy, affordable seafood, and bold coastal seasoning in one pot.

How it tastes

The sardine balls are tender and savory, with a clean sea taste rather than a heavy fishiness. Tomato, garlic, cumin, and paprika create a fragrant, gently spicy sauce meant for bread.

Origin & History — first documented: 1950

Sardine kefta became especially associated with Atlantic ports such as Agadir during the 20th-century expansion of the city's fishing industry. Local cooks adapted the older Moroccan kefta method to abundant sardines landed daily at the port. By the late 20th century, it was a familiar Agadir restaurant and household specialty.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 🐟 500 g cleaned sardine fillets
  • 🥕 350 g tomatoes
  • 🧄 100 g onion
  • 🧄 15 g garlic
  • 🌿 20 g coriander
  • 🌿 15 g parsley
  • 🧂 5 g paprika
  • 🧂 4 g cumin
  • 🫒 40 ml olive oil
  • 🍋 20 ml lemon juice

Method

  1. 1 Mince sardines with half the herbs, garlic, cumin, paprika, and lemon juice.
  2. 2 Shape the mixture into small balls and chill briefly.
  3. 3 Simmer onion, tomatoes, remaining garlic, herbs, and olive oil into a sauce.
  4. 4 Nestle in the sardine balls, cover, and simmer gently until just cooked.

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All Africa recipes — Morocco — Agadir — Sardine Kefta Tagine
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