Couscous or kuskus as it is known in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt is a Berber dish consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour. The finished grains are about 1 mm in diameter before cooking. The Levantine variant, popular also in Israel, is about twice the diameter and made of hard wheat instead of semolina.[2] Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed. In many places, a more processed quick-cook couscous is available and is particularly valued for its short preparation time.
“Israeli couscous”, also called “ptitim”, is a pasta product similar to the Italian orzo. In North America, it is considered as a larger version of couscous and is used in slightly different ways. In Western cooking it is often used as a bed for salmon or chicken dishes, or put into salads. One of its purposes was to provide a rice substitute for Mizrahi Jews, for whom rice was the staple grain. Unlike North African couscous, it is not semolina at all, but rather baked wheat.
A simple grilled sea bass is one of the finest tasting fish you can eat. Don’t be put off by the bones – cooked this way the flesh will just fall away. Ask you fishmonger to clean and de-scale the fish and remove the heads if you prefer. The citrus cous cous served goes perfectly with fish, but it is so quick and easy to prepare that I use it all the time as a substitute for potatoes.
- 2 sea bass about 250g each
- About 20 cherry tomatoes on the vine
- The juice and grated rind of a small lemon
- The juice and rind of about half an orange
- About 100ml of light fish stock or chicken stock
- 125g cous cous
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
2. Place the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast for 15–20 minutes until soft.
3. Pre-heat the grill to maximum. Make a series of diagonal slashes on each side of the fish and place on a grill tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with sea salt. Grill for 3–4 minutes on each side until the skin is crisp, brown and blistered.
4. Meanwhile add the stock to the citrus juices and make up to 150ml of liquid. Place the citrus stock in a medium pan with a tight fitting lid and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cous cous, citrus rind and a good slug of olive oil. Set aside with the lid on for 2–3 minutes and stir again.
5. Place the grilled fish on a warm serving plate next to the tomatoes and spoon on the cous cous.
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 10 minutesCooking time: 20 minutes