Sicilian Caponata with Grilled Fish Eggplant and Olive Relish with Fish

Bring a small pot of water to a boil, then add the couscous, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Dice the eggplant, zucchini, celery, and onion into 1 cm cubes. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Mince the garlic.

Heat 30 ml olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes until softened and lightly browned.

Add the onion, celery, and garlic to the skillet, season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and cook for 4 minutes until the onion is translucent.

Stir in the cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, and red wine vinegar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust salt.

While the caponata simmers, season the sea bass fillets with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Heat a grill or oven to 200°C. Grill the fish skin-side down for 4 minutes, then flip and cook for 3 minutes more, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily (internal temperature 63°C).

Tear the basil leaves and stir half into the caponata. Serve the fish and couscous alongside the caponata, garnished with remaining basil and a drizzle of olive oil.