Denise says:
I wrote this recipe with thoughts of producing a stylish fusion combination dish. Seabream is plentiful along the Spanish/ Portuguese coastline so it has a Mediterranean influence but combined with saffron and coriander it is then transformed into a Morrocan/ Oriental experience. The seabream sits on a bed of cous cous that successfully soaks up all the delicious colourful sauce. When frying the seabream, I have kept the skin as it gives it a golden crispy coating and also prevents it from falling apart. You can make the sauce in advance and reheat just before serving.
I like to serve this dish with some lightly cooked sugar snaps and mange tout.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients:
6 seabream fillets, each weighing 175g/ 6 ounces3 cm /1 ¼ inch fresh ginger – peeled
5 cloves garlic – peeled
1 hot red chilli
3 tablespoons sunflower oil plus oil for frying
2 teaspoons coriander seeds - crushed
1 teaspoon turmeric
12 strands of saffron – infused in 2 teaspoons of hot water
4 tablespoons white wine.
1 tablespoon sugar
300g fresh tomatoes – peeled, deseeded and chopped
300g vegetable stock
55g cold unsalted butter – cut up in to cubes
For The Cous Cous
225g cous cous
500ml Hot vegetable stock
Garnish
Bunch of fresh coriander
Method
1)Pre-heat the oven to 250 C/ 475F/ Gas mark 9.2)Crush the coriander seeds with the base of a rolling pin or in a pestle and mortar.
3)Chop the ginger, garlic and remove the stem and seeds from the chili and chop finely.
4)Put the crushed coriander, garlic, ginger and chilli in the food processor; whiz together so that they form a paste.
5)Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Stir in the spice paste from the food processor and cook gently for 3 minutes.
6)Add the turmeric, and saffron with its liquid. Stir in the wine and sugar and cook for a further 3 minutes.
7)Pour the hot stock over the cous cous, cover with cling film and leave for 5 minutes.
8)Add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock to the sauce, increase the heat, bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes.
9)Heat a heavy frying pan until very hot. Brush the fish fillets with some sunflower or vegetable oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper and lay them skin side down in the pan.
10)Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, or until the skin has a good dark colour. Transfer to an oven tray lined with baking parchment paper. Place in the oven for a final 3 minutes.
11)As the fish goes into the oven, whisk the butter pieces into the sauce.
To serve the stylish way: Add the coriander leaves to the sauce. Immediately spoon the sauce onto the plate. Spoon some cous cous on top of the sauce and finish with a fillet of seabream – skin side up. Sprinkle some more coriander leaves over the complete dish.