Moroccan chickpea and carrot tagine

I'm on a mission to make more fish at home. My mission is frequently thwarted for pretty mundane reasons. One: I do my grocery shopping on Saturdays, so unless we have fish Saturday, I have to go back to the store for fresh fish later in the week. Two: I struggle to make the meal exciting. We love simply prepared fish. Drizzled with a little olive oil and lemon is the best way to enjoy most fish. But that can make for a lackluster meal unless the side dishes stand out. That's what led me to this dish... sort of.

I set out to buy monkfish to make a fish tagine, but the store didn't have any... hmmm. My fish guy told me dover sole was the freshest thing he had - came in just hours earlier. I chose that, figuring I'd just broil it with a little onion, lemon pepper and olive oil. But now I needed a good side dish. The tagine cookbook was already out, so I turned to the vegetarian section and found this recipe for chick pea and carrot tagine. It's quick and easy, plus it's hardy enough to go with fish and packs in plenty of flavor.

Spicy carrot and chickpea tagine with turmeric and cilantro
adapted from Tagine by Ghillie Basan

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tbsp. honey
3 medium carrots, cut into thick slices on a diagonal
1 14.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
sea salt
a small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat the oil in a tagine or heavy bottomed casserole dish, add the onion and garlic, and saute until soft. Add the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, honey and carrots. Pour in enough water to cover the base of the tagine and cover with a lid. Cook gently for 10-15 minutes.

Toss in the chickpeas and check to make sure there's still enough water in the bottom of the tagine, cover, and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and sprinkle the cilantro over the top. Serve with the lemon wedges.