The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
North African cod with herby couscous
Cometh the (dinner) hour, cometh the... cod! Our chefs have teamed firm white fillets with tangy preserved lemon and an aromatic kamfounata (North Africa’s take on ratatouille), here given heat with a little harissa. Herby couscous is the finishing touch, soaking up those fabulous flavours.
SWK: Source of fibre
SWK: High protein
Plants 6
Serving size
Ingredients
- 200g passata (tomatoes, salt, citric acid)
- 1 courgette
- 1 onion
- 1 pepper
- 20g preserved lemons (Sulphites) (Lemons (61%), Salt (10%). Packed in Water (29%))
- 1 handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 4 tsp garlic paste (Garlic, Sea Salt, Citric Acid)
- 1 vegetable stock cube (use half) (Celery) (Sea salt, potato starch*, sustainable palm oil*, sugar*, vegetables*(6,8%) [celery*, onion*, carrot*, parsnip*, tomato*], sunflower oil*, yeast extract, caramelised sugar*, herbs* & spices* ( lovage*, turmeric*, parsley*, black pepper*) *Organic ingredients)
- 2 skinless cod fillets (Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Molluscs, Mustard, Cereals Containing Gluten)
- 125g wholewheat couscous (Wheat) (100% Whole WHEAT semolina)
- 2 tbsp harissa paste (use half) (Red Chilli, Garlic, Tomato Puree, Sea Salt, Coriander, Acetic Acid, Paprika, Cumin, Caraway, Mint)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 428
Protein: 37g
Carbs: 59g
Fat: 3.6g
Ingredients
- 40g preserved lemons (Sulphites) (Lemons (61%), Salt (10%). Packed in Water (29%))
- 2 onion
- 2 pepper
- 2 courgette
- 4 skinless cod fillets (Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Molluscs, Mustard, Cereals Containing Gluten)
- 8 x garlic paste (Garlic, Sea Salt, Citric Acid)
- 2 tbsp harissa paste (Red Chilli, Garlic, Tomato Puree, Sea Salt, Coriander, Acetic Acid, Paprika, Cumin, Caraway, Mint)
- 1 handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 250g wholewheat couscous (Wheat) (100% Whole WHEAT semolina)
- 400g passata (tomatoes, salt, citric acid)
- 1 vegetable stock cube (Celery) (Sea salt, potato starch*, sustainable palm oil*, sugar*, vegetables*(6,8%) [celery*, onion*, carrot*, parsnip*, tomato*], sunflower oil*, yeast extract, caramelised sugar*, herbs* & spices* ( lovage*, turmeric*, parsley*, black pepper*) *Organic ingredients)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 427
Protein: 37g
Carbs: 59g
Fat: 3.6g
North African cod with herby couscous
Cometh the (dinner) hour, cometh the... cod! Our chefs have teamed firm white fillets with tangy preserved lemon and an aromatic kamfounata (North Africa’s take on ratatouille), here given heat with a little harissa. Herby couscous is the finishing touch, soaking up those fabulous flavours.
Cook time:
25 mins
Cuisine:
North African
Food group:
Fish
Allergens: Sulphites, Fish, Celery, Wheat
Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 baking tray
- 1 large non stick frying pan
Start the prep
- Heat your grill to high.
- Scoop out the middle of the preserved lemons and chop, discarding any pips, then chop the rind and keep both separate.
- Peel and thinly slice the onions, then deseed and thinly slice the peppers. Dice the courgettes into 2cm chunks.
Grill the cod
- Put the cod on a baking tray lined with foil, spritz with cooking spray and top with the chopped preserved lemon rind. Grill for 8-10 mins, until the cod is cooked through and flaking.
Things get saucy!
- Meanwhile, spritz a large non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and put it over a medium-high heat. Fry the onions, peppers and courgettes for 5 mins.
- Add the garlic paste and half the harissa (the whole sachet for 4 portions) and cook for 1 min.
- Tip in the lemon flesh, squeeze in the passata and crumble in the stock. Pour in 100ml water (200ml for 4 portions), stir well and simmer for 5 mins.
Sort the couscous
- At the same time, put the couscous in a mixing bowl and lightly season to taste with salt. Pour in enough boiled water to just cover the couscous, stir well, then cover and leave for 5 mins until the water is absorbed.
- Finely chop the parsley and stir it through the couscous.
Plate up
- Divide the saucy veg between plates, then top with the cod and serve with the couscous.