How to prepare Trapanese cous cous: the original Sicilian recipe

Soup fish, paprika or hot chili pepper, aromatic herbs: Trapanese cous cous, an exquisite typical Sicilian regional dish, is one of the most iconic specialities of Southern Italy. According to the most accredited etymological studies, its name derives from kouskous, which refers to the container used to cook semolina in the Berber language.

Its long tradition attests to its origin along the coasts and in the areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and the earliest evidence of this thousand-year-old delicacy, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is dated between the 7th and 8th centuries. The main historical references for the recipe include the Kitab fadalat al-Khiwan by Ibn Razin al-Tujibi, an 11th-century Muslim cookbook, and in the Egyptian world. Due to its versatility, it was the favourite food in the diet of the Berber nomads for several centuries.

We find one of the first traces of its arrival in Sicily in an essay on Sicilian culinary habits written by the anthropologist Giuseppe Pitré in the 19th century. Other reliable and relevant sources include the Sicilian Etymological Vocabulary, published in 1785, which explicitly mentions the dish as cuscus, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Pellegrino Artusi, published in 1891, and L'arte Cucinaria in Italia (The Art of Cooking in Italy) by Cougnet in 1910.

According to a fascinating legend, the preparation of Trapanese cous cous began with Solomon's court chef following his love disappointment with Queen Sabina. It made him regain the energy he needed to rule wisely, and in Berber culture, cous cous became a symbol of love and brotherhood.

Fish Trapanese cous cous is a dish with very ancient origins. It is one of the typical dishes of the varied Sicilian gastronomic tradition, mainly from the area between Trapani and San Vito Lo Capo.

Would you like to know how to prepare cous cous alla Trapanese? One of the peculiarities that distinguishes it from the North African recipe is the use of fish instead of meat. The traditional recipe calls for the cous cous, made from delicious spheres of durum wheat semolina, to be prepared by hand using the so-called incocciatura technique and cooked in a typical couscoussiera, a traditional vessel resembling a steamer.

1 kg of couscous

EVO oil

water

peppercorns

cinnamon (optional)

For the fish stock: 2 kg fish (soup fish, langoustine, gurnard, clams or scorpion fish, grouper, dentex, conger eel)

1 1/2 litres of water

1/2 litre of fish stock

a few peppercorns

two bay leaves

two parsley stalks

one pinch of saffron

one onion

salt

Prepare approx. 800 g organic tomato pulp for the sauce

one onion

one clove of garlic

50 g peeled almonds

parsley

oil

salt

chili pepper.

To cook the couscous, choose five peeled tomatoes.

one onion

three bay leaves

fish bones

salt

pepper

To garnish the couscousu, choose six delicious baby squid

15 prawns

slices of swordfish

one glass of dry white wine

flour

oil

pepper

curly parsley

lemon

Treat yourself to a marvelous boat day trip from Trapani to contemplate the natural beauty of Favignana and Levanzo while enjoying a delicious aperitif.

The making of the Trapanese cous cous starts by preparing the broth. Pour some water into a large saucepan, add peppercorns, bay leaves, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt, cover with a lid, and leave to cook for fifteen minutes. Prepare an emulsion of oil, parsley, almonds, onion, and garlic with a blender. Pour the resulting mixture into a pan and sauté for about 6 minutes. Add the tomato cocnnentrate to the mixture and cook for another 3 minutes. Place the soup fish in the pan, cover the preparation with cold water, and cook for half an hour. After cooking fish, you can drain it, bone it, and filter the strained mixture to obtain the tasty broth for the cous cous.

Pour the fish into the tomato sauce and add the previously obtained stew. You can now prepare the cous cous by pouring water into a bowl to obtain micro granules by slowly moistening the semolina. Using your fingertips, turn the mixture clockwise until tiny granules form. Season the cous cous thus obtained by mixing it with chopped onions, garlic, almonds, and olive oil. Cook it in a bain-marie, adding some spices such as lemon slices, cinnamon, cloves, and bay tree leaves for an hour and a quarter. Once cooked, open the couscoussiera, place the chopped fish in it, close it up, and cook for another 15 minutes.

Place the cous cous in a pot and douse it with the tasty fish stock, pouring it in a little at a time until it has been absorbed completely, and wait a couple of hours before serving to bring out all the flavours. Pay attention to arranging the ingredients in the lower part of the cous cous bowl. When boiling, the water must not wet the upper portion. Also during boiling, cover the perforated bottom with a dampened napkin and tie the napkin over the lid of the pot, steaming for approximately 20 minutes.

For the garnish, emulsify the white wine, a few tablespoons of oil, and a sprinkling of pepper to marinate the swordfish. We recommend serving by arranging the cous cous in the centre of the dish and garnishing with the soup fish and fragrant lemon slices.