Sicilian Fish Couscous with Toasted Almond Sauce by Paula Wolfert

It was on the ramparts of Erice, a hill town in northwest Sicily, with Norman buildings, steep inclines, and gray cobbled medieval streets, that I first encountered the scent of Sicilian fish couscous—the scent, actually, of a perfectly balanced fish soup spiced with saffron, cinnamon and black pepper. And I detected this aroma later along the coast of the entire western part of Sicily; in the old walled quarter of Marsala, on the park-like waterfront of Mazara del Vallo, and along the southern coast as far east as Agrigento. But the place I smelled it most frequently, the place in Sicily where couscous is king, ws the flat white city of Trapani, where, at the harbor-side, every restaurant serves its own particular version. There are numerous versions of this dish in western Sicily, made with various combinations of fishes, cooked together in a sort of bouillabaisse-type stew, and enriched with ground toasted almonds. The couscous grains over which the fish and sauce are served are made as in North Africa---semolina flour and droplets of water are rolled into pellets on a large rimmed dish. What happens next is quite distinctive, resulting in an entirely different texture and flavor. In Sicily, the grains are ‘cured’ on a larg e beveled platter called a maffaradda by moistening with tepid water and Sicilian olive oil, and seasoning with salt, pepper, ground cinnamon, chopped onions and bay leaves; mixing and leaving to rest before breaking up any lumps. The steaming is done in an oiled colander, preferably a terra-cotta pignota di cuscuszu, set over boiling water, covered and steamed for over an hour. ( I substitute a stoneware colander.) Each grain cooks evenly and separately and later plumps under a weighty amount of flavorful fish sauce and a heavy blanket. When the couscous absorbs all the broth, it is then served moist and tender rather than dry and fluffy. The following recipe was given to me by Vita Coppola Poma, a native of Trapani who now lives on Long Island. (In her home all of the large presentable fish is served after the couscous, accompanied by a green salad.) Although Sicilian couscous is delicious, it sometimes looks disappointing---various over cooked fish lying on top of a platter of heavily moistened grain. You can improve the presentation by decorating the grain with steamed mussels and/or by frying the tentacles of small squid in hot oil, then using them to garnish the platter. Unlike Mrs. Poma I do not serve the presentable fish as a separate course but on a side platter accompanying the grain, lavishly sprinkled with snipped Italian parsley.

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Serves 6 to 8

Equipment 4-quart casserole Colander, preferably earthenware or stoneware www.claycoyote.com, set snugly over a tall pot, pignota di cuscuszu or a couscousiere or a steamer tray over a pasta pot

5 to 6 pounds mixed lean, Atlantic white saltwater fish, as varied as possible: snapper, rockfish, grouper, mullet, halibut, whiting, porgy, scrod, cod, croacker, bass, or monkfish---all fish boned and cut into large chunks, rounds and steaks, fish heads, trimmings, and bones reserved for stock See note below for substituting Pacific fish

Salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds small squid

1 cup fine chopped onion

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

l bay leaf

1 small carrot, sliced

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper, or more to taste

4 cups strained plum tomatoes

¼ cup (2 handfuls) Italian parsley, stemmed, not chopped

6 garlic cloves, halved, peeled, with green shoots removed

Couscous

1 pound fine or medium grain couscous

¼ cup green olive oil, preferably Sicilian

1 ½ teaspoons salt

l teaspoon finely ground black pepper

l teaspoon ground cinnamon

l small red onion, chopped 2 imported bay leaves

½ cup (3 ounces) toasted blanched almonds

Garnish

12 mussels, scrubbed

1 handful squid tentacles (see above)

Pure olive oil for frying

3 tablespoons roughly chopped Italian parsley

1. Sprinkle the cleaned fish with salt and pepper. Brush with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil and keep refrigerated. Clean the squid, cut into rinds, and set aside the tentacles for the garnish.Keep refrigerated until step 5.

2. About 3 hours before serving, heat 1/3 cup of the olive oil in a 4-quart casserole, add the onions, and cook them over low heat until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the fish heads, trimmings, bones, cinnamon, bay leaf, sliced carrot, l tablespoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of black pepper, and cayenne, and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

3. Press the contents of the casserole through the medium blade of a food mill. Press the liquid through a fine sieve. You should have about 3 cups fish flavored tomato sauce. Discard the fish heads and seasonings. In a blender combine the garlic, parsley and l cup of the sauce and grind to a puree, then return to the sauce.

4.Place the fine or medium couscous in a wide bowl and gradually stir in ¾ cup of tepid water (1 cup for medium couscous), and ¼ cup of oil, the salt, pepper, cinnamon, chopped onion, and bay leaves, mix well to break up any lumps. Let stand while bringing plenty of water to a boil in a deep pot or couscousiere. Add a few coins to the pot. When the water is boiling rapidly fasten on the steamer top and fill it with the couscous and the seasonings; cover with a clean kitchen cloth (a terrycloth towel, folded in two, will absorb the excess moisture). Place the lid of the pot over the towel to keep the steam from escaping. Steam for 1 ½ hours without disturbing it. If necessary, add more boiling water to the pot.

5. After 1 hour of steaming, return the parsley-enriched sauce to the large casserole, add 1 quart of hot water, and bring it to a simmer. Add the squid rings and cook, partially covered, at a simmer for 45 minutes, then add the fish pieces and poach them very gently for 7 minutes, longer if the fish pieces are thick). Using a slotted spoon, remove the fish to a warm platter; bone them if desired. Cover and keep warm. Stir the toasted almonds into the fish sauce. Adjust the seasoning with salt and plenty of black pepper.

6. Dump the couscous into a heated wide serving dish. Use a ong fork or whisk to break up lumps; discard the bay leaves. Gradually stir the fish sauce into the couscous, adding enough to cover the grains as they begin to swell, about 7 cups. Reserve any liquid to keep the chunks of fish moist. Cover the couscous with foil and a kitchen towel or blanket and set it in a warm place, until it has absorbed all the liquid, about 20 minutes. Sicilian couscous should not be soupy, but very moist.

7. Steam the mussels, remove the top shells, and slip the mussels into the couscous. Dry the reserved tentacles and quickly fry them in ½ inch hot olive oil, l minute to a side. (If the tentacles are large, reduce the heat slightly and cook 1 minute longer). Serve the couscous in wide soup plates garnished with the mussels and tentacles. Scatter parsley over the fish and serve alongside the couscous.

Notes to the Cook:

To effectively seal the top and bottom parts of the pot and colander, dampen a strip of cheesecloth and twist it the length of the circumference of the rim of the bottom part of the pot. Tuck the cheesecloth between top and bottom.

The perforated top should not touch the water below.

Diana Kennedy once told to add a few coins to the  pot when steaming for a long time. The jiggling of a few coins will keep you aware to just how much water remains in the pot; it ceases when the water is boiling away.

If using fish from the Pacific coast, choose a mixture of rock cod, ling cod, halibut, and, if available, the Mexican totava. To perk up the flavor, season them highly with salt and pepper, parsley, pinches of cinnamon, and red pepper before cooking.

Steam keeps the couscous from falling through the holes. Be sure that the bay leaves do not hinder the free flow of steam.