One-Pot Smoky Fish With Tomato, Olives and Couscous
Updated June 12, 2020
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- ¼cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- ¾cup jarred roasted red peppers, roughly chopped, or 1 fresh red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
- 1medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4(6-ounce) skinless mild, white fish fillets, such as cod, fluke or halibut
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1½tablespoons minced garlic (about 3 large cloves)
- 1tablespoon chopped anchovies (about 4 fillets)
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch of ground cayenne
- ⅓cup dry white wine
- 1½cups chicken stock, preferably low-sodium
- 1(14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½cup olives, preferably black or Kalamata, pitted or not
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving
- ¾cup pearl couscous
- 2teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
535 calories; 20 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 42 grams protein; 1183 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large (12-inch) skillet (use one with a tight-fitting lid), heat the olive oil over medium. If using fresh red bell pepper, add it with the onion, and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pat the fish fillets dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 2
If using roasted red peppers, add them with the garlic, anchovies, paprika and cayenne, and cook for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the pan. When the wine has almost entirely evaporated, add the chicken stock, tomatoes, olives, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Step 3
Add the couscous, stir, then add the fish fillets, wiggling them lightly to submerge them in the sauce. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Carefully transfer the fish to a plate. Simmer the couscous, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it’s tender and the liquid in the pan has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Off the heat, stir in the vinegar and gently return the fish to the skillet to warm, being careful to keep it intact. Serve hot in shallow bowls garnished with additional parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
Private Notes
Comments
It is very hard to remove the fish fillets without having bits of uncooked couscous stuck to the fish. It was a tedious process removing the couscous from the cooked fish fillets. Perhaps it would be better to add the fish AFTER the couscous has finished cooking or during the last 5-7 minutes of the couscous cooking? I made this using frozen fish fillets (since I'm only doing express grocery pickups once/week) and this recipe, with its flavorful sauce, is ideal for frozen fish.
Think of this as as template. Use what you have on hand, this is not a rigid recipe. I had fish, onions, garlic, peppers, olives. Used cherry tomatoes and some sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste instead of canned tomatoes. Used Farro since I didn't have cous-cous. Used Anchovy paste instead of anchovies. Couldn't find my Cayenne so added a bit of Harissa. Delicious! Be creative. You really can't go wrong as long as you follow the general idea and don't overcook the onions/peppers.
Can we substitute quinoa for the couscous?
To make gluten free substitute buckwheat groats for cous cous. Cooked 1c groats and used 2c broth. increased to 2 tsp paprika, increased cayenne pepper to taste, and added some onion and garlic powder.
Like others, I cooked the couscous separate and dished it up in the serving bowl and ladled the sauce on, then layered fish on top, and then more sauce and then parsley… and then, stay with me here… grated pecorino. I put it on everything. This included. Try it.
Thought this was pretty good. Bit too smokey for me so I'd cut back on the smoked paprika next time, maybe to 1/2t and would definitely give the olives a rough chop so they are more distributed through the sauce. Also would switch to a can of whole tomatoes and hand crush them so there are more large tomato chunks. We used halibut, so it stayed quite intact for cooking, but was thick, so needed a flip and several more minutes than the recipe called for.