Fish again

It's fish again. Only today it's going to be salmon, crusted with couscous & baked in the oven. I've just coated the fillets with the couscous already to just go in the oven this evening.

Couscous I find a strange item. We first encountered it in France when were staying with friends just outside La Rochelle. We were left feeling dubious. I suppose it's no more bland than plain boiled rice or pasta, even than boiled potatoes. It's the sauce that lifts these staples. I think what really gets to me is the texture - so granular.

Then one year we tried a Moroccan restaurant in Le Mans on our homeward journey from a holiday in the Pays d'Oc. Yes, plenty of flavourings were added to the couscous & yet we still didn't like it.

Since then I've had a go at cooking(?) it myself. I've come to the conclusion it can work reasonably well as the basis of a stuffing, for chicken for example. A small portion can be an interesting addition to a salad. But I still wouldn't have it in place of our usual staples of pasta, rice or potatoes. Spelt I would consider, couscous no. I just can't get away from the texture. So our tagines continue to be served with rice or potato, much to our preference.

This is the first time I've tried using couscous as a coating. I'm hoping it's going to give an interesting crispness to the fish whilst still protecting the flesh from the fierceness of the heat. We'll find out this evening.