Moroccan-Spiced Poached Cod with Couscous and Steamed Carrots

Let's Cook

1. 1Step 1

   3 min

   Put the onion, garlic, canned tomatoes with their juice, water or broth, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, and several grinds of pepper into a wide skillet or shallow pot. Bring it up over medium-high heat until bubbles break steadily across the whole surface.

2. 2Step 2

   18 min

   Turn the heat down to low and let it cook uncovered until the onion slices are soft enough to cut with the edge of a spoon and the broth smells warm and spiced rather than sharp and raw, 15 to 18 minutes. It will darken slightly and thicken a little.

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   WHY THIS WORKS: Simmering onion, garlic, and ground spices in tomato liquid pulls their flavor into the broth, and that broth then seasons the cod from all sides as it poaches — no fat needed to carry taste.

3. 3Step 3

   9 min

   While the broth simmers, put the carrots in a small pot with an inch of water, cover, and cook over medium heat until a knife tip slides into a coin with just a little resistance, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain and keep covered.

4. 4Step 4

   5 min

   Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl with 1/4 tsp salt. Pour over 1 1/4 cups boiling water, cover the bowl with a plate, and leave it alone for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork — the grains should separate easily and taste tender, not chalky.

5. 5Step 5

   10 min

   Season the cod on both sides with salt and pepper. Lower the fillets into the broth in a single layer, spooning a little liquid over the tops. Add a splash of water if the broth doesn't come at least halfway up the fish.

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   COMMON MISTAKE: Letting the broth boil. Rolling bubbles tear a lean fillet apart and squeeze it dry. You want the surface trembling, barely moving, the whole time the fish is in there.

6. 6Step 6

   10 min

   Cover and cook at a bare simmer — surface trembling, no rolling bubbles — until the fish turns from translucent to solid white and flakes when you press a fork into the thickest part, 8 to 10 minutes. Cook to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C).

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   6. Pull the fish the moment it flakes rather than waiting for it to look sturdy — it keeps cooking in the hot broth after the heat's off.

7. 7Step 7

   5 min

   Stir the lemon juice and half the herbs into the broth around the fish. Spoon couscous into shallow bowls, lift a fillet onto each with a slotted spatula, add the carrots, and ladle broth over the top. Scatter on the rest of the herbs and serve with lemon wedges.

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   7. Use a slotted spatula, not tongs. Poached cod is soft and tongs will pinch straight through a fillet; a spatula supports the whole piece as it comes out.