One-Pot Smoky Fish With Tomato, Olives and Couscous
Updated June 11, 2020
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
¾ cup jarred roasted red peppers, roughly chopped, or 1 fresh red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 (6-ounce) skinless mild, white fish fillets, such as cod, fluke or halibut
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic (about 3 large cloves)
1 tablespoon chopped anchovies (about 4 fillets)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of ground cayenne
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 ½ cups chicken stock, preferably low-sodium
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ cup olives, preferably black or Kalamata, pitted or not
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving
¾ cup pearl couscous
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
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?
delicious BUT how do you remove the fish without removing SOME of the couscous, which ends up not soft in the final dish?
Almost made as written, but had to substitute packaged gnocchi for the couscous. That worked well. Because it was sooooo delicious the first night, I assumed the leftovers flavors would meld and be even better the 2nd. Sad to say I was wrong. It didn’t hold up. Why did the flavors fade?
Would this recipe work with a nuttier grain like sorghum, if it's already cooked when added?

