Harissa baked cod with giant couscous, black chickpeas, carrots, coriander & lemon

One of my favourite ways to cook carrots is to simply sweat them in a pot, with the lid on, in extra virgin olive oil, cracked coriander seeds and a sprinkling of salt. Once they’re very soft, I mix through a generous amount of fresh coriander (cilantro) and nothing more. And therein lies the inspiration for this recipe!

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Heat the oil over a medium heat in your wide shallow pot. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for
   5-7 minutes until softened and starting to brown at the edges. Add the garlic, the spices and the tomato purée and cook for 1 more minute. Add 1 tbsp water if the pot feels a little dry. Now add the carrots, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a further 1 tbsp of water. Stir, turn the heat down, pop the lid on and cook for
   7-10 minutes until the carrots are just softening. Give them a stir from time to time.
2. Now mix 1½ tsp salt into the vegetable stock. Add this to the pot and stir. Add the couscous, spreading it across the pot, making sure it’s all submerged in the liquid. Sprinkle the black chickpeas on top. Bring to a gentle simmer, then pop the lid on and place in the preheated oven for
   10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, season the fish and coat the pieces with the harissa paste, to taste.
4. Take the pot out of the oven and place the harissa-coated fish on top of the couscous, which will now be nearly cooked. Pop the lid back on and return the pot to the oven for a final
   10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and allow the pot to sit, with the lid on, for a further
   5 minutes. Finally, remove the lid, drizzle with the lemon juice and scatter the coriander all over.

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