A vibrant red Tunisian couscous spiced with harissa, cumin, and tender vegetables, served with delicate fish gently poached right in the sauce. A generous, sunny dish true to the coastal tables of Tunisia.
Ingredients
- 500 g medium-grain couscous
- 800 g gilt-head sea bream steaks
- 250 g drained cooked chickpeas
- 4 pieces waxy potatoes
- 3 pieces carrots
- 2 pieces zucchini
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Tunisian harissa
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground caraway
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- to taste fine salt
- to taste ground black pepper
- 1.5 l water
- 1 piece lemon
- 2 pieces mild or hot green chile peppers
Method
- Rinse the fish steaks, pat dry, then rub with crushed garlic, salt, pepper, a pinch of cumin, paprika, harissa, and olive oil; let sit while preparing the vegetables, until fragrant with spices.
- Thinly slice the onion, cut the carrots and zucchini into large chunks, peel the potatoes, keeping the vegetable pieces large so they do not fall apart in the sauce.
- In the base of a couscoussier or large pot, saute the onion in olive oil until translucent and sweet-smelling.
- Add the remaining garlic, tomato paste, harissa, cumin, coriander, caraway, and paprika; stir until the tomato paste darkens, the oil turns red, and the spices become intensely fragrant.
- Pour in the water, season with salt and pepper, add the chickpeas, carrots, and potatoes, then simmer covered until the vegetables begin to yield when pierced with the tip of a knife.
- While the sauce simmers, rub the couscous grains between your palms with a little olive oil and water to separate them, then steam over the sauce until puffed and light.
- Fluff the couscous in a large serving dish, moisten lightly with a ladle of the red broth, then return to steam until the grains are tender, separate, and fragrant.
- Add the zucchini and green peppers to the sauce, then gently lower in the fish steaks; simmer gently until the fish is opaque and flakes easily without breaking apart.
- Mound the couscous into a wide, shallow bowl, ladle with red sauce, arrange the vegetables, chickpeas, peppers, and fish on top, then serve with lemon wedges and extra sauce on the side.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 676.8 kcal
- Protein
- 42.16 g
- Carbohydrate
- 78.41 g
- Fat
- 20.37 g
- Fibre
- 9.49 g
- Calcium
- 61.92 mg
- Iron
- 2.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 32.42 mg
