Date-stuffed mackerel with spicy broth and couscous

Method

1. For the stuffing: heat the oil in a small pan and lightly fry the onion for 5-8 minutes until translucent. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool.

2. Crush the almonds so that you have a mixture of chunks and powdery bits. Add the dates and almonds to the onion with the mint, lemon zest and juice, ginger and harissa. Season with salt and pepper.

3. With your hands, mix the butter into the stuffing, then bring everything together into a ball.

4. For the mackerel: preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.

5. Using a sharp knife, gently open out the tail end a little, cutting along the inside of the fish beside the back bone - this is to give you a bigger pocket for stuffing.

6. Pour a little oil into the bottom of an ovenproof tray lined with greaseproof paper. Season the inside of all the fish, fill them with the stuffing and lay them in the dish. Drizzle a little oil on the outside of each fish, rub with the ginger and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

7. For the couscous: put it into a wide container and add half the water. Leave it to plump up for about 10 minutes, then fork it through to separate the grains and add the rest of the water, the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Leave the couscous to absorb the rest of the liquid, then fork and finger the grains until they are as separate as possible.

8. Steep the saffron in a little boiled water. Bring the fish stock to the boil in a pan and add the cayenne together with the saffron and its liquid. Season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

9. To serve, spoon some couscous and two ladlefuls of broth into large, flat soup bowls. Top with the mackerel and a handful of chopped coriander.

Comments                        add a comment

Be the first to add a comment...

Ingredients

For the stuffing

1 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
20g blanched almonds, toasted
10 moist Dates, pitted and roughly chopped
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1/2 lemon, finely grated zest and juice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp harissa paste
25g Butter, diced

For the mackerel

4 x 175g Mackerel, scaled, gutted and cleaned
Olive oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp saffron threads
275ml fish stock
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 small bunch Coriander, roughly chopped, to serve

For the couscous

200g Couscous
175ml boiling water
1 tbsp Olive oil

Top Sponsored Searches

You may also like

Like this recipe? Print Print this recipe Save Save this recipe to My Recipe Book Share Email to a friend

Offers & Promotions

Great discounts on cookware
Save money on shopping bills
Real Italian food for real food lovers