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Sicilian seafood couscous

Easy Sicilian Couscous Recipe

Silvana Nava
Sicilian Couscous is a dish rich in Mediterranean flavors and aromas. Today we are going to show you a seafood version, especially suitable for the summer. It's a light, tasty and very colorful recipe.
Couscous, a typical North African dish, has always been part of the Sicilian culinary tradition. This is certainly due to the countless and continuous exchanges and contacts between the two countries.
It's an excellent alternative to pasta and rice. Easy and quick to make, you can cook couscous in many ways and with different seasonings.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 527 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg mussels 2.2 pounds, with shells
  • 500 g clams 1.1 pound, with shells
  • 4 prawns or large shrimps
  • 200 g couscous 1 ¼ cups
  • ½ teaspoon saffron threads
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 6 leaves fresh basil
  • 300 g tomatoes ~10 oz, cherry or grape
  • 40 g raisins ~4 tablespoons
  • 20 g almond flakes ~4 tablespoons
  • 1 lemon organic

Instructions
 

  • Place the cleaned clams and mussels in a very large saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes - no more - covered with a lid (no oil or water).
  • The purpose of this step is to open the shells so that the liquid inside comes out. Separate the liquid from the shellfish. Place the clams and mussels in a separate bowl.
  • IMPORTANT: Discard those that have not opened, as they are probably not fresh.
  • Filter the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any remaining sand and broken shells and set aside.
  • IMPORTANT: You will need this liquid, which is pure "sea flavor", to rehydrate the couscous, so don't throw it away as it is essential to the recipe!
  • TIP: If you are using frozen seafood and do not have its water, you can replace it with seafood stock.
  • Pour the liquid from the mussels and clams into a cup and add the saffron.
  • Stir to dissolve the saffron. The liquid will turn a nice yellow color. Set aside.
  • PLEASE NOTE: For 200 grams (1 and ¼ cups) of couscous, you need 200 ml (¾ cup) of liquid. If you do not have enough, add a little water. In general, the liquid from shellfish is very salty. It's not necessary to add salt.
  • Remove the mussels and clams from their shells and set them aside.
  • Place the raisins in a glass of warm water to soften them. Wash the basil and cherry tomatoes. On a cutting board, cut them into not too small pieces.
  • Place the couscous in a large, high-sided bowl. Add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
  • Then pour in the saffron seafood cooking liquid until the couscous is completely covered.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and wait about 5 minutes. The couscous will rehydrate and increase in volume significantly.
  • Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat one tablespoon of oil with the two peeled but whole garlic cloves. Add the cleaned mussels, clams and shrimp.
  • Cook for two to three minutes at most. Cook the shrimp for one minute on each side. Turn off the heat and remove the garlic.
  • Use a fork to break up the couscous. Do this very well so that no lumps of couscous remain.
  • Then add the mussels and clams and stir.
  • Add the tomatoes, basil, well squeezed raisins and almond slivers.
  • Season with the grated zest of half an organic lemon.
  • Mix everything very well and finally decorate with the prawns, a tablespoon of EVO oil and more basil leaves. Your Sicilian Couscous with Seafood is ready! Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

BEFORE YOU START: To make Sicilian couscous with seafood, you must first prepare and clean the mussels, clams and prawns. This is the most difficult part of this simple recipe.
Of course, you can also use FROZEN SEAFOOD, but of course the flavor will be much less intense and tasty than fresh ones.
We will now give you the step-by-step instructions for making the Sicilian Couscous recipe, assuming that the seafood has already been cleaned. For the CLEANING OF MUSSELS, CLAMS AND PRAWNS, see the paragraph above.

Nutrition

Serving: 100gCalories: 527kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 28gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 444mgPotassium: 854mgFiber: 6gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 949IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 7mg
Keyword sicilian couscous recipe
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