Mise en Place

Clams and scallops

Onions and garlic sautéing in olive oil

Simmering

Middle Eastern Couscous With Clams & Scallops. This is an adaptation of Doreen Colondres’s culinary creation from La Cocina No Muerde, which translates, The Kitchen Doesn’t Bite. Doreen is a celebrity chef, of Puerto Rican descent, and is very proud of her heritage.  She has appeared in many television shows across the globe. Doreen is often featured on the widely popular morning show, Despierta America, which can be seen on the Latin channel, Univision.  I had the pleasure of meeting her in a wine class, and have kept in touch ever since.  Despite her busy schedule, she found the time to make me and our circle of friends, this delicious dish. She inspired me to recreate it in My Kitchen.

Servings: 6-8  Difficulty:  Easy – Medium

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Middle Eastern Couscous, can be found at your local grocery, or specialty stores.
•  3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced
•  4-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1.5 tsp. paprika
• 4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 18 cherrystone clams *
• 1/2 lb. bay scallops
• Parsley for garnish

Preparation:

1) In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, heat up the olive oil. Sautee’ the onions for couple minutes, then the garlic for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes. (If you have time, you can roast the tomatoes in the oven with olive oil to obtain a nice caramelization, prior to using them in this dish).

2) Deglaze with the wine, 1-2 minutes. Drop in the couscous, stir and cook for 2 minutes, add paprika, salt & pepper. Pour chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally.

3) Add clams and scallops. Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. It should come out moist, just like you see it in the featured picture. Plate it and sprinkle the parsley on top. This is an amazing dish that is sure to please all seafood lovers.

* I prefer using the little neck clams, as they are tastier, but my grocery store didn’t carry them that day. Use two dozen of them, since they are smaller.

The variety of white wines you can use to pair with this dish is endless. I recommend a Vinho Verde or a nice white Rioja. The choice is yours, just make sure the wine is nicely chilled.

Voila!

Bon Appetit from Gina’s Kitchen!
Recipe inspired by: Doreen Colondres
Recreated by: FoodieWineLover
Pictures taken by : FoodieWineLover

My wine suggestion. We had it at a Spanish wine tasting, and it was amazingly elegant.