Ingredients

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 tsp ginger

1 cinnamon stick

1 preserved lemon or normal lemon, chopped

12 green olives, stoned and roughly chopped

1 tbsp home-made harissa (see below)

125ml/4fl oz white wine

200ml/7fl oz fish stock

1 pinch of saffron

500g/1lb 2oz mixed firm fish, such as blue eye, orange roughy, snapper

200g/7oz mussels

100g/3½oz cherry tomatoes (I don’t put these in but others like them!)

couscous and coriander to serve

For the home-made harissa

3 fresh red chillies, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1-2 lemons, juice only

4 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Method

Heat the olive oil in a tagine and gently cook the onion and garlic until soft.

Add the cumin, ginger, cinnamon stick, preserved lemon and green olives and cook for two minutes.

To make the harrissa put the chillies, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil into a food processor and blend into a rough paste.  Stir in the harrissa and cook for one minute.

Add the wine and fish stock and the saffron and bring to a gentle simmer.  Add the fish and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the mussels and cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cover. Cook gently for 6-7 minutes.

Serve on a bed of steamed couscous and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander.