This started off as one of Jamie Oliver’s 15 minute meals recipes but after 1.5 hours trying to get something that didn’t taste like a can of tomato soup we came up with this which actually turned out pretty tasty. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jamie but his recipe just didn’t do it for me. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a good fishmonger nearby check out the frozen section in the supermarkets there’s some good stuff around. I got mine from Iceland, the mussels were really big but they were ready cooked so just needed defrosting and heating through.
INGREDIENTS
Approx 600g of mixed seafood (I used 12 large mussels, cleaned and prepped, 6-8 mini squid, sliced into rings and 6-8 raw prawns, de-veined)
2 seabass fillets or white fish of your choice
1 medium onion finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
500 g passata
A handful of olives black or green whatever you have
3 salted preserved lemons
6-8 anchovies
1-2 tablespoons of Harissa paste
2 tablespoons of Ras al Hanout (Moroccan garam masala)
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
Hot water to loosen the sauce
2-3 teaspoons of rose water (optional)
Olive or spray oil
Black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley or coriander to finish and serve
Crusty bread, quinoa or couscous and maybe roasted vegetables to serve.
METHOD
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil gently in a casserole dish and add the olives and anchovies and fry gently.
Add the onion and continue to fry for a further few minutes before adding the crushed garlic and preserved lemons.
Add the Harissa paste to the mix and stir into the mixture thoroughly before adding the tomatoes.
At this point add the Ras Al Hanout and coriander some hot water to loosen the sauce and then check for seasoning.
Add the rosewater and possibly some sweetener or honey if you prefer a sweeter taste.
In the meantime, score the skin on the seabass and cut the fillets into 3 pieces.
In a very hot frying pan add the seabass skin side down and fry for a few minutes to crisp up the skin (this is an optional step but quite a nice touch)
Add all off the fish and seafood to the sauce, cover with a lid and allow to cook until the mussels have opened (discard any unopened ones) and everything is cooked through.
Scatter with fresh herbs.
Serve with roasted vegetables and quinoa or couscous or a big chunk of sourdough bread.
Wheelie Tasty Recipes 