Fish soup preparation.
Lightly fry the rinsed and gutted fish in the oil and when browned set aside.
Sauté the onion and minced garlic with a dash of tomato paste and chili pepper to taste.
Add about a quart of water, bring to a boil and add the fried fish, simmering for about 30
minutes. When ready add a handful of minced parsley.
Couscous preparation.
In a pot warm three cups of water with salt and extra-virgin olive oil. In a saucepan put fresh or precooked semolina and knead it with the warm water, rolling it on the palm of your hand to make it swell and then dropping it into the receptacle. This is done repeatedly until the semolina has doubled its volume (while working it you can add a blender-minced mixture of carrots, parsley and garlic if you like). Put the worked semolina in a couscous bowl or colander. Place the couscous bowl over the soup pot, from which you have removed and boned the fish, and cover with a lid. The precooked semolina will take about 20 minutes to cook while for the fresh you will have to remove the couscous bowl from the steam, put it into the saucepan to cool off a bit, stir the ontents with a wooden spoon, bathe with the fish broth and re-steam it twice.
Vegetable preparation.
Rinse and dice all the vegetables, sauté in abundant oil and drain.When the couscous is ready add the vegetables and cooked fish to it, along with one or two ladles of broth to soften and amalgamate it. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes prior to serving.
A tasty Sicilian reinterpretation of the traditional Arabic recipe, that pairs well with the citrus scents of Prio, a fresh and young wine, but also with a medium-structured white like Vigna di Gabri.
