The reason I love this recipe so much is because it proves that the humble salmon can hold its own against a strong flavour. For those that think that it’s only chicken or lamb that can pull off the middle eastern bouquet (degree educated, y’all), think again.
And it’s just as well that salmon can take harissa, because we’re working our way through one big-ass tin of the stuff ever since we were struck by that hipster predilection of using attractive tin cans as a cutlery-holder centrepiece for dinner parties.
So pretentious, and unfortunately CB’s frugal nature won’t permit simply throwing away the harissa we don’t want…
Anyway, this is a fantastic dish. It’s really easy, really quick and with the cous cous you can pretty much throw anything you like in there and it’ll taste good. We like to also serve this dish with some spicy Mexican corn-on-the-cob (citizen of the world darling), which I’m sure we’ll write about the next time we make it.
Harissa Salmon with Giant Cous Cous
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 0.5 tbsp ground coriander
- zest and juice of half a lemon
- 1-1.5 tsp honey
- 2 fillets salmon
- 100g wholewheat giant cous cous (or cous cous of your choice)
- 250ml vegetable stock
- handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
- handful fresh mint, finely chopped
- 12 black olives, sliced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Directions
- Combine the harissa paste, ground coriander, half of the lemon zest, and 1 tsp of honey into a small bowl. Give it a taste and add the remaining honey if it tastes too bitter – this will depend on the type of harissa you’re using.
- Place the salmon fillets on a roasting tin lined with baking parchment, skin side down. Brush the marinade all over the salmon (not the bottom) and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Put the oven on at 170 degrees. Chill with a glass of wine until the salmon is ready.
- Bang the kettle on for the stock and weigh out the cous cous. Get the salmon into the oven for 12-14 minutes (set your timer), add the stock to the cous cous and cook according to the packet instructions (c.10 mins), topping up with water if it dries out.
- In the meantime chop the herbs, olives and add to a bowl. Add the cous cous once it’s done, olive oil, remaining lemon zest and add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and adjust to your taste.
- Serve the salmon on top of a bed of cous cous. Serve with a leafy green salad or corn on the cob.
MAD AVOCADO 