Sea Bass with Citrus Couscous

This is a dinner that feels simultaneously summer-grilled and Moroccan-perfumed. Sea bass gets a fast grill or broil while couscous steams with orange, lemon, and lime zest plus a whisper of Thai chili paste. Over the top goes a reduced orange juice and red onion sauce with coriander and Tabasco. Three distinct citrus notes in one plate, each doing its own job.

Reducing the orange juice by half is the move that makes the sauce work. Raw orange juice would taste candy-sweet and thin over fish. Reduced, it concentrates into something jammy and complex, with the cooked red onions adding a savory edge.

The three-zest couscous is deceptively simple. Orange, lemon, and lime zests layer on top of each other in the way Moroccan chermoula uses multiple citrus notes at once. Add the chili paste, and you get a grain side that holds its own against any sauce you could pour on it.

Chef Tips

• Use microplane-fresh zest, not pre-dried. Bottled citrus zest is pale, bitter, and carries none of the essential oils that make this dish shine.
• Let the couscous rest the full 10 minutes covered off the heat. Tight-lid steaming is what separates fluffy grains from gummy ones.
• Don’t flip the bass more than once on the grill. Fish that’s moved too much tears, and the beautiful golden crust you worked for ends up stuck to the grates.

Variations

• Swap sea bass for halibut, cod, or grouper. Adjust timing by thickness, not weight.
• Add pomegranate seeds to the couscous for color and tart crunch.
• Finish the plate with a drizzle of harissa oil alongside the orange sauce for a bolder North African flavor push.