King Prawn and Fish stew with Couscous

This is like an ode to the summer to come.  There is a hint of spring and summer in this dish while being comforting enough to take you through a cooler spring day.

This was also inspired by a trip to my local fish counter.  They had some beautiful looking large raw prawns and I decided to treat myself.  They were pretty expensive though so one way to have something which is a big treat like these prawns is to cook them in a dish with much cheaper fish, here I used mackerel and squid.

I've used so called "giant" couscous here but you could use Fregola or normal couscous.

Fish with Couscous - Serves 1

Ingredients

1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
2 Anchovy fillets from a tin
1 tsp Olive oil
2 Medium sized tomatoes, diced
1 small glass White Wine
1 Mackerel fillet, checked for bones and cut into 3-4 pieces
2 Baby squid
3 Large raw prawns (shell on, see below)
50g, 1.5oz Giant couscous
Seasoning
Parsley, to serve

Method

Cut up the anchovies and fry gently with the garlic in the olive oil.  Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute or two followed by the wine.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until reduced by more than half.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the couscous separately following pack instructions.

When there is about 5 minutes left of the couscous cooking time, add the pieces of mackerel and the prawns to the sauce and cover.  In the meantime, slice the squid into rings and separate the tenticles.  Stir the prawns and fish in the sauce (gently) from time to time so they cook evenly.

When there is about 2 minutes left to cook or when the prawns look nearly ready, add in the squid and replace the lid.  Continue to cook until all the fish is done.

Drain the couscous and when the fish is ready, mix it with the sauce, season to taste and sprinkle with parsley.  Serve immediately with napkins to wipe your hands after shelling the prawns!

Mackerel and anchovies taste great and are great sources of Omega 3 oils.