Fish couscous is a rich variation on the traditional Maghrebi dish, carried here by a pesto of ouzef — the small dried Tunisian fish — anchovy and fresh herbs. Served with a tomato sauce simmered with paprika, it brings Berber and Eastern flavours together on one plate. Here is the full recipe, ingredients and steps, to get it right at home.
Ingredients
For this couscous with ouzef, anchovy and herb pesto, you will need:
- 1 kg of L’Épi d’Or Medium couscous
The ouzef, anchovy and herb pesto
- 300 g of dried ouzef
- 50 g of anchovies
- 1 bunch of dill
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp of harissa arbi
- 0.150 l of olive oil
The tomato sauce
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 2 tbsp of tomato purée
- 1 kg of fresh tomatoes
- 6 onions
- 7 cloves of garlic
- 100 ml of olive oil
- Salt, pepper
How to make this couscous with ouzef pesto
This dish, part of the culinary journey through Tunisian cooking, comes together in three stages: the steamed couscous, the fish pesto, then the tomato sauce.
Steam the couscous
Steam the L’Épi d’Or couscous in a couscoussier.
Make the ouzef pesto
Chop the parsley and dill finely. Rinse and drain the ouzef, fry them until crisp, then dry them in the oven — one of the food preservation methods that concentrates their flavour. In a blender, combine the fried and dried ouzef with the dill, the parsley, the anchovies, the garlic, the harissa and the olive oil, blending to a smooth pesto.
Cook the tomato sauce
In a large pot, heat the olive oil with the tomato purée, the fresh tomatoes cut into small dice, the garlic, the finely sliced onions and the paprika. Leave to simmer over a low heat, without adding water.
Plate and serve
Stir the couscous grains through the fish pesto, then spoon over the tomato sauce. The dish sits well within a fisherman’s menu for a full meal built around seafood. Serve hot.
