Moroccan Ocean Trout with Cranberry and Almond Couscous

I don't know what it is with men - they are fixated with fire!!!

I had just purchased some ocean trout to have for dinner, and the first words out of Mr. CCC's mouth were "are you going to barbecue that?"  I very rarely cook fish on the BBQ - not that I don't like it on there - but he tends to "overcook" it and I prefer having the control of it in the kitchen (yes - I know, that's the control freak in me coming out!!).

Anyway getting back to the BBQ question I told him "no, I am going to give it a dukkah crust and serve it with couscous".  You should have seen the look on his face - he thought I said something about the dog and the "puss puss" (must get his hearing checked after Christmas!!!)

I saw this recipe in the latest MasterChef Magazine it just looks so festive - all red and green and golden!!  I was unable to get salmon (well I could - but it was too expensive for the five of us to have, so I substituted Ocean Trout instead).

Moroccan Ocean Trout with Cranberry and Almond Couscous
Adapted from recipe in MasterChef Magazine December issue


Serves 4

40g Dukkah *
4 x 150g pieces of ocean trout, pin boned (skin on or off - personal choice)
1 tbs olive oil

Couscous

2 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
3/4 cup torn mint leaves
1 orange, segmented
1/4 cup lemon juice
50g butter

"Toast" the almonds by putting them in a non stick frypan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, for approximately 5 minutes, or until they are golden.  They will continue to cook until they cool - so make sure you turn off the heat before they are too brown.  Remove from the pan immediately and allow to cool on a plate.






To make the couscous, bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan. (Make sure the saucepan is large enough to accomodate the couscous once it expands - you also need enough room to fluff through the other ingredients!!)  Remove from the heat, stir in the couscous.  Stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  Fluff the couscous with a fork.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To make the Moroccan Fish, place the dukkah on a plate.  One at a time, add the fish and turn to coat. Scatter the remaining dukkah over the top of the fish.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the fish and cook for 3 minutes each side, for medium, or until cooked to your liking.

Divide the couscous among the serving plates.  Top with the fish, and serve with extra mint leaves and lemon wedges.

* There are several types of Dukkah available (in the spice section of your supermarket) - I chose to use Pistachio Dukkah.


Although you can't see the cranberries that well - it was a lovely festive looking dish with the red of the cranberries and the green of the mint.

So Dear Readers are you starting to plan your Christmas feast - what will it be - the traditional - or something easy and more modern?

Salmon with Lime Creme Fraiche and Citrus Couscous, and Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus

Any meal that has salmon in it is a great meal with me!!

I have been making this dish for many years now, and it always goes down a treat.  I started out using a packaged Ainsley Harriott Citrus Kick Couscous mix, but now make my own version of the couscous.  This is an incredibly easy dish - the hardest part is making the lime creme fraiche!!

If you are not familiar with creme fraiche, and have not seen it at your local supermarket, it is well worth scouting around for.  At my local supermarket it is hidden away with the gourmet cheeses - and any good deli will usually sell it.  It can be a little pricey - but the taste is worth it.  Creme fraiche is very similar to a good thick sour cream, it has a pretty high fat content (usually around the 30% mark) but because of this high fat content it can be whipped and used in place of cream, and is great for cooking as it doesn't curdle like some of the lesser fat content sour creams can.  It has a lovely rich, lush flavour, and once you try it you won't go back to sour cream again!!

Salmon with Lime Creme Fraiche, Citrus Couscous and Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus


Serves 4


4 Salmon Fillets


Lime Creme Fraiche


250g Creme Fraiche
1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 small green shallots, very finely chopped
1 tbs honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Citrus Couscous


Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbs Moroccan seasoning
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
30g butter
1 cup couscous


Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus


1 bunch of asparagus
100g prosciutto
50-100g grated parmesan cheese
garlic olive oil spray
freshly ground black pepper


To make the lime creme fraiche, place all ingredients in bowl, and combine.  Set aside while preparing the rest of the meal.


For the asparagus, remove the woody end of the asparagus by gently bending the woody end of the asparagus until the end snaps off (this way you will always have just the lovely fresh soft part of the asparagus.)


Preheat oven to 180C.


Depending on the number of slices of prosciutto, wrap a slice of prosciutto around 1-2 pieces of asparagus.  Place wrapped asparagus on a baking tray.  When all pieces of asparagus are wrapped, spray with a generous amount of garlic olive oil spray.  Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, and then a generous amount of parmesan cheese.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the asparagus is tender.  This is THE BEST way to eat fresh asparagus!!!

Place the chicken stock, lime juice and zest, coriander, and moroccan seasoning in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the chicken stock comes to the boil.  Remove from the heat, stir in the couscous, place a lid on the saucepan and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes while you cook the salmon.  After 10 minutes, add the butter, and fluff up with a fork - gently combining the butter into the couscous.


Heat a frypan over high heat.  Add a small amount of olive oil to the pan.  Cook the salmon skin side down for approximately 4-5 minutes, or until the skin is lovely and crispy.  Turn over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, and how you like it done.  Remember that salmon is a lot like a good piece of steak - you still want a little pinkness in the middle - do not over cook!!


To serve place the couscous, salmon and several pieces of asparagus on a plate.  Serve the creme fraiche on the side.

This is an absolutely gorgeous, fresh spring meal.  It is also incredibly easy, so if you are entertaining, you can prepare the lime creme fraiche in advance, have the couscous all ready to go, have the asparagus pre-wrapped, then it's all only going to take a few minutes to cook.

To me this meal personifies Spring - you will see Asparagus crop up more and more in my meals during spring - especially this way!!!  So Dear Readers what meal do you love to make when the weather starts to warm up?

Citrus Glazed Salmon with Orange and Date Couscous

Friday is shopping day - so I asked Mr. CCC - ( don't call him the M.O.T.H. - he doesn't like that) what he wanted for dinner.  The answer - Salmon with some couscous and some of those little nuts things (he meant pine nuts!!).  I had a hankering for some prawns, plus I've kind of been kind of obsessed with tzatziki since making it a couple of weeks ago.  So let's combine the two!!

I set about making the tzatziki on Thursday night - you will find the recipe on the Prawn Kalamaki post, and in dips.  I think I have now found 101 uses for tzatziki - I include it in heaps of things now - on pizzas - sandwiches, burgers you name it.  It can't be bad for you - it's made with yoghurt!!  Anyway I decided to use it as a dipping sauce for some lovely fresh prawns - very good!  Dear Readers have you tried it yet - and if you have, what have you tried it with - would love to hear if there is a new idea I can try it with!!

Now to main course.  I found a recipe for couscous that had pine nuts in it - it also had orange and dates - looked good, will give that a go.  Now what to marinade the salmon in?  Here is what I came up with.

Citrus Glazed Salmon with Orange and Date Couscous


The glaze recipe is enough for 2 pieces of salmon


1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup shao tsing wine (I don't know how you spell it!!)
1 tbs ginger, finely chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tsp sesame oil


Combine all the ingredients in a bowl - add the salmon fillets salmon and marinate for at least 1 hour - the longer the better!


Onto the Couscous.

Orange and Date Couscous


Serves 4


1 cup couscous
1 cup chicken stock
1 large orange
1/2 cup pitted dried dates, halved
1 small carrot, peeled, grated *
1 cup fresh mint leaves, finely shredded
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp caster sugar
1/4 cup orange juice


Bring the chicken stock to boiling point.  Place the couscous in a heatproof bowl.  Pour over the hot chicken stock, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 5 minutes.


Peel and segment the orange.  Do this by removing the white pith, and cutting down either side of the membrane (make sure you do this over a bowl so that you can collect the juice).


Make the dressing by placing the oil, cumin, sugar and orange juice in a screw top jar.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Shake well.


After 5 minutes, fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains.


Place the orange segments, dates, carrot, mint and pine nuts in the bowl with the couscous.  Pour over the dressing, mix well.


* For the carrots I used a grater that gave me a slightly larger, less mushy texture.

Now to cook the salmon I think I came up with a pretty good idea.  I was also cooking salmon for "The Darlings - they wanted their usual - Teriyaki Salmon - so that meant that I had two batches to cook - really didn't want two frypans to wash.  Well I am sure by now you have figured out that I love my disposable foil trays -  I decided to use them tonight to grill my fish in!!  So under the grill I placed my two trays of salmon - no washing up!!!  How clever am I?  

Grill the salmon skin side down for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Turn over and grill the flesh side for 2-3 minutes, or until done to your liking.  Make sure you brush well with the glaze.

And the results??  The judges awarded a 9 1/2 out of 10!!!!

The couscous was lovely and light and fresh - it would be great also be great with some grilled or barbecued chicken.

So Dear Readers what clever little tricks have you come up with to save on washing up or something that has made life a whole lot easier?  Please share with us!

As for the Teriyaki Salmon .... I am saving that recipe for another day - when I will share with you the salad that I serve with it when serving to adults as well!