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Roasted root vegetable and preserved lemon couscous with romesco sauce and red mullet
Serves 6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 1-2tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium red mullet fillets, scaled and pin boned
- juice of 1 lemon
- fresh chervil, to garnish
For the couscous
- 300g assorted root vegetables, peeled and diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1tsp thyme leaves
- 150g couscous
- 150ml hot vegetable stock
- ½ preserved lemon, finely chopped
- small handful coriander, chopped
For the romesco sauce
- 200g cherry tomatoes, lightly roasted
- 1 nora pepper, soaked in water for 10 minutes (or 1 roasted red pepper)
- 1 slice stale country-style bread
- 50g toasted hazelnuts, finely ground
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1tbsp sherry vinegar
- 3-4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- pinch chilli flakes
- 6 x 120ml verrines
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 390°F/Gas 6. Place the root vegetables and onions in a roasting tray. Drizzle over the oil, scatter over the thyme and season. Roast for about 25-30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and slightly caramelised.
Meanwhile, put the couscous in a large bowl and pour over the hot stock. Stir well with a fork and leave until it has plumped up. Stir in the roasted vegetables, preserved lemon and coriander.
To make the romesco sauce, roast the tomatoes in the oven at 200°C/390°F/Gas 6 for 25-30 minutes (it’s best to do this at the same time as the root veg).
Remove seeds from the pepper and place the flesh in a food processer. Soak the stale bread briefly in cold water to soften, squeeze out excess liquid and add to the machine. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Blitz until the mixture is a similar texture to hummus. Season to taste.
Cut the red mullet into pieces about 30g each. Heat 1-2tbsp olive oil in a frying pan until quite hot. Add the mullet pieces, skinside down, and fry for 1-2 minutes, until golden. Turn and fry the underside for a minute. Remove from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and squeeze over the lemon juice. Season with sea salt.
Divide the couscous between the glasses. Top with the sauce. Arrange the red mullet pieces on top; garnish with chervil. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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