Spicy Fish Tagine with Harissa & Pomegranate Couscous

A delicious combination of spices and seafood, every mouthful brings a different taste.  The couscous compliments this dish perfectly!

Serves 4

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

For the spice:

3 tsp coriander seeds

3 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp ground turmeric

Pinch of saffron threads

1 red chilli, seeds removed & finely chopped

For the tagine:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled & finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed

Sea salt

5 new potatoes, peeled & quartered

3 tomatoes, seeds removed & finely chopped

1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock

1 red pepper, seeds removed & finely chopped

1 yellow pepper, seeds removed & finely chopped

1 green pepper, seeds removed & finely chopped

1 red chiili, seeds removed & finely chopped

200g black olives, pitted

1 large orange, grated zest and juice

1 handful of coriander leaves, chopped

For the chermoula:

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 lemon, zest & juice

½ orange, zest only

1 handful of coriander leaves, chopped

For the seafood:

400g skinless cod fillets, cubed

8 scallops

12 raw king prawns

For the harissa:

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp ground caraway

1 tbsp ground coriander

2 red chillies, seeds removed & finely chopped

2 tsp salt

6 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp tomato puree

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 handful coriander

½ lemon, juice only

For the couscous:

Knob of butter

300g couscous

Handful of pomegranate seeds

1 heaped tbsp harissa (see above ingredients)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small squeeze of lemon juice

Preparation method

1.  For the spice, in a frying pan dry fry the coriander and cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes.  Place into a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, add the remaining ingredients and blend to a paste.

2.  For the tagine, heat the olive oil in a large tagine or heavy based pan.  Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and a pinch of salt and fry for 5 minutes or until softened. 

3.  Now add the potatoes, chopped tomatoes and the spice mix and fry for 7-8 minutes.  Add a ladle of stock and chopped peppers, bring to the boil and pour over the remaining stock.

4.  Add the chilli, olives, orange zest and juice, cover the tagine and simmer for 30 minutes.  If required add more stock.

5.  For the chermoula, in a frying pan dry fry the coriander and cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes, now grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and add the remaining chermoula ingredients.  Mix all the seafood with the chermoula and let marinade for 10 minutes.

6.  To make the Harissa, dry fry all the spices for 1-2 minutes then grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, add the remaining harissa ingredients and blend to a paste.

7.  To make the couscous, prepare the couscous as per packet instructions along with a knob of butter and set aside to absorb the water.  Fluff up with a folk and add the remaining ingredients.

8.  For the tagine, add the marinated seafood to the tagine and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the seafood is opaque and the prawns are pink.

9.  Serve the tagine with the couscous and a sprinkling of coriander.  Enjoy!