Sfaxi-Style Fish Couscous

La storia di questo piatto

Sfax, port city on Tunisia's southern coast, is where the sea's catch meets the Maghreb's spice chest, and this couscous carries that meeting in every grain. Whole fish of the Mediterranean rest on a bed of semolina, gilded by saffron and flushed red with harissa.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Couscous
• 1200 ml Fish broth
• 1200 g Mixed whole fish (sea bream, gilthead bream, mackerel)
• 2 pieces Red onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 400 g Peeled tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons Tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Harissa
• 1 bunch Fresh coriander
• 0.5 g Saffron
• 4 tablespoons Warm water for steeping the saffron
• 1.5 teaspoon Cumin
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground caraway
• 90 ml Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt and pepper

Preparazione

1. Steep the saffron in 4 tablespoons of warm water and set aside. Clean the whole fish: using the back of the knife, scrape the scales from tail toward head, open the belly with one long cut, remove the innards and rinse well under cold water, also removing the dark blood along the spine with the back of a teaspoon. Cut out the fillets (or ask your fishmonger to do it) and slice them into 5-6 cm pieces. Heads and bones aren't needed: the fish broth is already on the list (if you prefer homemade, simmer them for 20 minutes in 1.2 liters of water with a piece of onion, then strain).
2. Finely chop the onion and garlic. In a wide pot, heat 60 ml of oil over medium heat and soften the onion for 4-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and, after 30 seconds, the cumin and caraway: stir for 1 minute until fragrant. The heat should stay medium so the garlic doesn't burn.
3. Add the harissa and tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes, until the sauce is an even red. Pour in the peeled tomatoes (crush them with the spoon), 700 ml of fish broth, and the saffron with its steeping water. Stir, and adjust with salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium-low heat and let it simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the sauce has developed flavor and reduced slightly.
5. Lay the fish pieces into the sauce one at a time over low heat and cook for 8-10 minutes without stirring (at most, gently shake the pot). The fish is ready when it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Turn off the heat immediately and keep covered.
6. A couple of minutes after the fish goes into the pot, prepare the couscous: place it in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil and rub it between your fingers to separate the grains. Heat 450 ml of the remaining fish broth (or use the sauce without fish), lightly salt it, and pour it over the couscous. Stir for 30 seconds with a fork, cover with a plate, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Alternatively, for a more traditional result, steam the couscous in a couscoussier.
7. Fluff the couscous with a fork, rubbing the grains between your fingers, until soft and separate. Spread it onto plates and spoon the fish with its spiced sauce over the top.
8. Pick the coriander leaves from the stems, scatter them over the plates, and serve immediately, piping hot. For a more rustic version, you can add cooked chickpeas and pepper strips to the sauce in step 3.