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Seafood Couscous

17/11/2023

Seafood couscous is a dish that blends the flavors of the sea with the tradition of couscous, very common in Sicilian cuisine thanks to North African influences. Here is the recipe to prepare an excellent Italian-style seafood couscous.

Ingredients

  • 300 g of precooked couscous
  • 800 ml of fish stock
  • 400 g of mixed cleaned fish (e.g., squid, shrimp, scorpionfish)
  • 200 g of mussels
  • 200 g of clams
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Parsley to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 red chili pepper (optional)
  • 1 glass of dry white wine

Preparation

  1. First, clean the mussels and clams by soaking them in salted cold water for at least an hour, then rinse them and put them in a pan with a little white wine. Let the mussels and clams open over high heat, discard those that remain closed, and filter the cooking liquid, which will be added to the fish stock.

  2. Prepare the fish stock by bringing it to a boil. If you don’t have ready-made stock, you can prepare it with fish heads and bones, a piece of celery, a carrot, and an onion.

  3. In a large pan, fry a clove of garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Add the chili pepper if you like a spicy touch. Add the mixed fish cut into pieces and let it brown briefly. Deglaze with white wine.

  4. Add the mussels and clams to the fish, remove the garlic and incorporate a little fish stock. Let it cook for a few minutes so that the flavors blend well.

  5. Meanwhile, prepare the couscous following the instructions on the package, usually just pouring the couscous into a bowl, adding a drizzle of oil, and then the boiling fish stock. Cover and let rest for the indicated time, then fluff it with a fork.

  6. Once the fish is cooked, season with salt and add the fluffed couscous, mixing gently.

  7. Serve the seafood couscous hot, sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley.

Curiosity

In Sicily, seafood couscous can be considered a variation of the more traditional land couscous, which are often enriched with vegetables and meat, especially during the famous “Cous Cous Fest” in San Vito Lo Capo.

Seafood Couscous