Seafood couscous is a unique dish that can be enjoyed warm or cold. The recipe I propose is inspired by the typical way of preparing couscous in Sicily; in this region, some traditional recipes indeed serve couscous with fish-based condiments instead of meat and legumes as is typical in North African regions.
Couscous is indeed a food of Arab origin, which arrived in Italy (especially in southern regions) following the dominations that occurred over the centuries.
Unlike the typical Sicilian recipe (especially common in the Trapani area), I have added, besides seafood, some vegetables, thus transforming couscous into a perfect unique dish to enjoy at home or to take for a picnic or a day at the beach.
Before moving on to the recipe, here’s a curiosity: in Sicily, the dialect term for couscous is cùscusu.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Fusion
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 382.21 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 50.79 (g) of which sugars 8.55 (g)
- Proteins 20.93 (g)
- Fat 12.44 (g) of which saturated 1.52 (g)of which unsaturated 3.99 (g)
- Fibers 5.87 (g)
- Sodium 867.96 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 330 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Seafood Couscous
- 10.58 oz raw couscous (pre-cooked type just to rehydrate)
- 10.58 oz zucchini
- 6.35 oz carrots
- 7.05 oz green beans
- 8.82 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1.54 lbs mussels (weight with shell)
- 7.05 oz shrimp
- 7.05 oz cuttlefish
- 1.76 oz sunflower seeds
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon (untreated)
- A few leaves mint
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 bunch parsley
Preparation of Seafood Couscous
To prepare the seafood couscous, first clean the mussels well, place them in a large pot with a drizzle of oil and coarsely chopped parsley. Sprinkle with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, cover with a lid, and let cook for a few minutes, just until the mussels open.
When the mussels are ready, drain them from their cooking liquid and let them cool slightly, then shell them, filter the liquid, and set it aside.
In another pot, boil the already cleaned cuttlefish with a little water flavored with some lemon zest (only the yellow part) and a bay leaf. Let them cook for about 15/20 minutes, or until the cuttlefish are tender.
When the cuttlefish are cooked, drain them and also filter their cooking broth, then combine it with the mussels’ broth: we’ll use it to rehydrate the couscous.
In a pan, sauté the zucchini cut into cubes with a drizzle of oil, remove the zucchini and cook the carrots, also cut into cubes, in the same pan. Salt the vegetables and set them aside.
Boil the green beans in salted boiling water, keeping them al dente, then drain and cut them into pieces about an inch long.
Finally, shell the shrimp and sauté them in a pan with a little oil and lemon juice for a few minutes, season with salt, and set them aside as well.
Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into quarters so that all the ingredients are ready to assemble your couscous.
Heat the reserved cooking broth of the cuttlefish and mussels and use it to rehydrate the couscous following the instructions on the package, then in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients: the rehydrated and fluffed couscous, the shelled mussels, boiled cuttlefish, shrimp, and all the vegetables. Dress with another drizzle of EVO oil, a little lemon juice, and chopped mint leaves, season with salt, garnish with a handful of sunflower seeds, some lemon zest, and serve immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to consume.
