Paella Inspired by North African Flavors

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) salmon fillet, cut into pieces
• 5 ounces merguez sausage, cut into pieces
• 6 cups vegetable broth, divided
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 12 shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 12 mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 2 (5.8 ounce) boxes couscous

Step 1

Warm some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Toss in the chopped onion, roasted red pepper, and garlic, and cook them together until they smell really good and start to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add the tomatoes, salmon, and merguez sausage, and let everything cook for a couple more minutes.

Step 2

Pour in 2 1/2 cups of broth along with the white wine, then season the mix with cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring it all up to a simmer. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat and stir in the shrimp. Let it cook just until the shrimp turn opaque, which should take around 3 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, add the mussels, cover it, and let it sit for about 5 minutes so the mussels can open up.

Step 3

While that’s going, bring the remaining 3 1/2 cups of broth to a boil in another pot. Stir in the couscous, then take it off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes so it soaks up all the liquid.

Step 4

To serve, spoon the couscous into shallow bowls and ladle the stew right over the top. Enjoy!