Salmon Couscous

This recipe uses the traditional couscousier method: vegetables and broth simmer in the bottom pot while couscous steams in a cloth-lined colander on top, absorbing the fragrant vapor. It’s a North African technique that infuses the grain with the aromatic steam from garlic, caraway seeds, chili pepper, and the mixed vegetables below.

Canned red Alaska salmon keeps this weeknight-friendly. The salmon juice from the can goes into the broth for extra flavor, and the fish itself gets added to the vegetables at the very end for just 5 minutes of warming so it stays in flaky chunks rather than dissolving into the sauce.

Caraway seeds are the spice that gives this its distinctly North African character. Combined with the chili pepper and garlic, they create a warm, anise-like aroma that scents the couscous as it steams. Pumpkin seeds stirred into the finished couscous with butter add a crunchy, toasty contrast.

Kitchen Tips

• No couscousier? Use a saucepan with a muslin-lined colander set on top. Roll the overhanging cloth into a collar to seal the gap
• Soak the couscous in hot water for 20 minutes before steaming. This pre-hydrates the grains so they cook evenly
• Add the salmon and tomatoes only at the end. Both break down quickly and should just warm through
• Use the salmon can juice in the broth. It’s concentrated fish flavor that would be wasted if discarded

Variations

• Use fresh salmon fillets broken into chunks for a more premium version
• Add chickpeas to the vegetable broth for a heartier, more traditional North African stew
• Stir harissa paste into the broth for a spicier, more authentically Tunisian flavor