Ingredients for couscous alla trapanese, serves 8

For the couscous

1 kg durum wheat semolina
200 ml water
1 onion
parsley, to taste
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
cinnamon sticks
celery
bay leaves
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

For the fish soup

1 kg soup fish (Dublin Bay prawns, scorpionfish, John Dory…)
extra virgin olive oil
10 cloves of garlic
chopped parsley
100 g chopped almonds
500 g peeled tomatoes
water
salt
pepper
chilli pepper

Some of the ingredients for preparing couscous alla trapanese © Laura La Monaca

Preparation

Work the semolina (incocciare) by rubbing the durum wheat semolina with a circular motion of the hand, always clockwise, adding a little water gradually. This part of the preparation is carried out in a wide, shallow terracotta vessel known in Sicilian as a mafaradda. Once the couscous has absorbed the water and swelled, add a little extra virgin olive oil.

Steam the couscous for approximately one and a half hours. Traditionally, a terracotta pot with a perforated upper section — the couscoussiera — is used. The holes are sealed with onion and bay leaves so that the semolina is cooked without direct contact with the steam. The pot is then sealed on the outside with a simple paste of water and flour, so that neither steam nor flavour can escape. Add aromatics to the cooking water, such as cinnamon, onion, garlic, celery, pepper, bay leaves, and optionally the fish heads too. Leave the couscous to rest for about an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the fish soup separately.

Also read the recipe for pesto alla trapanese

Gently fry the onions, around 10 cloves of garlic and the chopped parsley in extra virgin olive oil. Add the chopped almonds and the peeled tomatoes. Add water, then salt, pepper and chilli pepper, the soup fish, and cook over a low heat for at least one hour. Clean the fish and strain the broth. The fish is served on the plate of couscous, together with a few slices of fresh lemon and parsley. The broth is served on the side, to moisten the couscous as desired.

The recipe was kindly shared by Giovanna Catalano, who has been preparing couscous alla trapanese in Erice for forty years.

The recipe for making couscous by hand and cooking it Trapani-style