Seafood Couscous

Seafood Couscous

My love of Seafood has been well documented on this blog but I love cooking it and I also love eating it so I think it might continue into the foreseeable future. This time the accompaniment is Couscous, this underrated African and Sicilian staple is the perfect fast food, taking only a few minutes to cook (well, more like re-heat, as 90% of the couscous available to buy here is pre-steamed and only in need of reheating!)  



I used Mussels and Squid in this recipe, feel free to change this up. Clams would be a great addition but they are far more expensive than mussels and Octopus could be used instead of the squid, just make sure you tenderize it first to avoid chewiness! The Chilli adds a lovely heat to this dish but if you think it might be too much, just remove the seeds before cooking and if your like it hot, add more! Preparing Mussels is covered here for anyone thats unsure.

Serves 4

4tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Courgette (finely chopped)
1/2 Red Onion (finely chopped)
1 Small Carrot (finely chopped)
1 Stick Celery (finely chopped)
150ml White Wine
1Kg Mussels (soaked and cleaned)
8-10 Cherry Tomatoes (quartered)
1 Red Chilli (finely chopped)
1handfull Spinach (finely chopped)
1 Squid Tube (cut into rings)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

250g Pre-Cooked Couscous
2tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1. Put the Couscous into a bowl/measuring jug and cover with approx. 375ml of boiling water. Cover with aluminium foil and let stand for 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork, stir in the Oil, season well and cover with the foil again until needed.

2. Meanwhile, Fry the Courgette, Red Onion, Carrot and Celery in the Oil over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Season well when you first add them to the pan. Add the Wine and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the Mussels and cover the pan (using a lid or tightly cover with foil). Let cook for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan a couple of times until the mussels open. Discard any that remain closed. Add the Tomatoes and Chilli, season well and cook for a further 7-10 minutes.

4. Add the Spinach and Squid, stir well, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until the squid is cooked. Mix the Couscous and Seafood together in a large bowl and serve with some good crusty bread.