Chermoula baked fish with Lemon couscous

INGREDIENTS

Fish

6 fillets of sustainable white fish
(cut into 150g portions)

Chermoula

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
4 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
1tbsp celery leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
½ a preserved lemon, rinsed and finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil

Preserved lemon couscous

½ preserved lemon, flesh and pith removed and zest rinsed and finely sliced
½ bunch parsley, chopped
1 cup wholewheat couscous
Juice of 1 lemon
Large pinch black pepper

METHOD

Chermoula fish

Combine all the ingredients for the chermoula and pulse to a coarse paste in a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a large baking tray.

Place the fish fillets in a single layer on the tray and spread with a tablespoon of the chermoula. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. The fish should just start to flake.

Preserved lemon couscous

Cover the couscous with boiling water and lemon juice. Allow the couscous to swell and steam for 1 minute, then loosen the granules with a fork.

Add the preserved lemon and steam for 1 minute in the microwave or over a pot of water. Check the seasoning, add the parsley and serve with chermoula fish.

To make your own preserved lemons

Choose a jar into which you can preserve the lemons.

It should not be too big as they should squash a bit. Place a 1cm layer of coarse sea salt at the bottom of the jar.

Cut the lemons into quarters, but don’t cut through the bottom. Take a tablespoon of coarse salt and rub it in the inside. Place the lemon into the bottle and repeat with the rest. Squeeze a bit of juice out as you force them into the jar. You want the lemons to be covered completely in a salty lemon juice. Add dried spices for extra flavour.

Seal the jar, store in a warm, dark place and leave it there for at least three weeks. The lemon rinds should now be soft and ready to use.

Serves: 6, Preparation time: 30min, Cooking time: 10min