Fish with Peppers and Clams

This is another one from the ever speedy Ms. R@y, and it has changed my life in a couple of different ways. First, it calls for exotic (to me) ingredients like "manila clams" and "wine". Second, it uses couscous in basically the only way I've found edible. Couscous is one of those items that I know is healthy and that I should like a lot, but I never have. Like bulgar wheat and quinou and millet and anything else that can be found in the health food store, I know it's there, I know if I were a vegan I'd kill for it, and that's about it.

I've made couscous before, actually, but because I'm not savvy, I usually dish it up plain and rely on the main dish (usually chicken or some kind of beef) to add flavor. A forkful of the meat with the couscous added was as far as I got in the creative department, but there was always a mealy aftertaste that just did me wrong. Blech.

This recipe lays on a bed of couscous, and I absolutely LOVE it. Everything about this recipe, actually, is a love affair for me. It's really fast, really yummy, lots of different flavors and textures happening (I'm crazy about different textures and generally have cravings that begin with, for example, "I'm in the mood for something chewy..."), and really very healthy and clean. Plus, though I'm no food photographer, it's absolutely gorgeous.

Okay, first, I cook with peppers. A lot. And here's a trick I learned to cutting up peppers so you don't have to spend extra time seeding and peeling out the white junk. First, hold the pepper by the stem, thusly:



And, using a sharp knife, cut down one side, turn and cut down the next side, and repeat until you've gone all the way around the pepper. When you're done, you'll be left with four perfect slabs of pepper meat, and the core, like this:



Okay, here are the ingredients and directions for making this:

4 (6-ounce) orange roughy fish fillets (I use a couple of pounds of talapia instead) seasoned with some salt and pepper. Use a good sized skillet that you have a lid for. Heat the pan and then add 2 tblspns of xtra virgin olive oil (I never measure olive oil, just a drizzle or two and spread it around). Add the fish and cook 2 minutes on each side, then remove the fillets from the pan and keep on a dish.

Add another shot of olive oil and then add 3 cloves of chopped garlic, a sliced yellow onion, a red bell pepper in 1/2 inch strips, and a handful of chopped pepperoncini hot peppers (found in a jar near the olives in the super). Add salt and pepper and then saute for 5 minutes, keep stirring it up. Add 1/2 of one of those plastic containers of whole grape tomatoes and cook for another minute. Pour in 1 cup of white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the drippings on the bottom of the pan (I swear, it was presented just like that, for "flavor" apparently) and then put the fish back into the pan. Add about two dozen manila clams (you can make this without clams, especially if they're too expensive or looking tired, it's just as good without them) and cover the pan with a well-fitting lid. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle a couple handfuls of fresh flat-leaf parsley over the whole thing.

VERY IMPORTANT: Toss any clams that didn't open. DO NOT EAT a clam that stays shut after being cooked. It means it's already turned the corner.

Serve the whole thing over couscous:

Toast 1/4 cup of sliced almonds (I bought them in a package already sliced at the super) in a saucepan over medium-ish heat. You don't need to add any oil or anything, just heat them in the saucepan. Just a couple of minutes! They will blacken and get charred. *cough* Or so I've heard.

Anyway, set them aside and use the same pan. Add 1 and a half cups of chicken broth and 1 tblsp of xtra virgin olive oil. Heat on high until boiling. Immediately remove the pan from heat, and pour in 1 and a half cups of plain couscous (can be found in boxes, either near the rice, pasta, or health food aisle of your standard super, depending on the store). Also add "two navel oranges, zested"** and a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley. Stir it all together, put a lid on it and let it stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and toss in almonds. Spread out on a big platter (BIG platter, this is a ton of food! My husband said the leftovers were even better.) and then put the fish and veggies over the top. Easy!

** I don't know about "zesting". I mean, I see them do it, with this long thing that looks to me like just a long cheese grater. That's actually what I use, the cheese grater, but I use the part that doesn't grate cheese (you know that part, it just looks all spikey and doesn't grate anything). Also, zesting TWO oranges seems excessive to me. I have to press down pretty hard to zest one orange, and it makes me crazy because I always think I'm going to rasp my knuckles from all the pressure and that smarts. Believe me. So I just do one orange, on the grater, and call it "zested".