Couscous de Poisson

Name: Couscous de Poisson
Yield: atleast 10 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound grouper or other meaty white fish; 1 pound fresh soft-flesh white fish, such as sole, flounder, or whiting; 8 spring onions or large scallions, diced; 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped; 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste; 3/4 baguette, soaked in water and drained; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste; 2 teaspoons harissa (see page 33), or to taste; 5 large cloves garlic, 4 of them minced; 3 large eggs; Olive oil for frying; 2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced, or one 6-ounce can; 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 onion, peeled and diced; 2 large cloves garlic, minced; 2 tomatoes, fresh or canned, peeled and diced; 2 teaspoons tomato paste; 2 teaspoons harissa (see page 33), or to taste; 2 cups fish stock or water; Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; 1 leek, halved lengthwise and cleaned; 2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise; 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half; 2 stalks celery, cut in half; 3 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds; 1 yellow winter squash (such as butternut), peeled and cut in large chunks; 1 cup chickpeas, cooked fresh or rinsed and drained from a can; 1 pound couscous (see page 270); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

December 9, 2011

In her modern kitchen, with its sleek mauve cabinets and red-and-purple tiles, Annie Berrebi showed me how to make this landmark dish. The stew can be prepped in advance and finished with a few minutes of simmering. Annie often freezes leftover grains of cooked couscous and then pops them into the microwave before using. Unlike Moroccan Jews, who serve their food in courses as the French do, the Berrebis serve everything at once (couscous, salads, and hot sauce). During this absolutely delicious meal, Annie told me, “I miss the sun in Tunis. But I love Paris. We have made our lives here.” You can either serve the couscous, fish balls, and vegetables on different plates, as Mrs. Berrebi does, or, if you want to make a big splash, as I like to do when presenting such a grand dish, pile the couscous in a pyramid on a big serving platter, then arrange the fish balls and the vegetables around it. Ladle the broth all over, and garnish with the cilantro. Pour some extra harissa into a little bowl, and put that on the table alongside cooked salads such as carrot salad (see page 112) or a tomato salad.

Recipe notes