A fresh combo with an exotic touch. Couscous is the staple product of North Africa and the national dish of the countries of Maghreb, that is, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. It is traditionally prepared as part of a meat or vegetable stew seasoned with cumin. It also mixed beautifully with salmon.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 200 gr couscous
- 3 tsp sea salt flakes or 1½ tsp pouring salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 x 15ml tbls grated fresh root ginger
- 250 millilitres freshly boiled water
- ½ small red onion (finely chopped)
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 x 15ml tablespoon garlic infused olive oil plus 1 teaspoon more
- 300 gr cherry tomatoes
- 4 salmon fillets
- 4 x 15ml tbls chopped fresh coriander
Directions
- Put the couscous into a heatproof bowl, with 2 teaspoons sea salt flakes (or 1 teaspoon pouring salt), ¼ teaspoon of the paprika and all the grated ginger. Mix before pouring over the boiled water. Cover the bowl, either with clingfilm or a plate, and leave to one side.
- In a second bowl, prepare the finely chopped onion and squeeze in the lemon juice.
- In another wide, shallow dish (big enough to take the salmon fillets later) and zest the lemon into it. Add the remaining salt and the paprika and stir in the 1 tablespoon garlic oil.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes and put them into yet another bowl; pour the extra teaspoon garlic oil over them, mix about a bit, then leave to one side.
- Heat a large frying pan for the salmon fillets. While the pan’s getting hot, turn them, both sides, in the “zest” dish to coat them with the zest, paprika and oily salt.
- Place the fillets in the hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes a side – depending on thickness.
- Meanwhile, uncover and fluff up the couscous, which should have absorbed all the water, then tip the tomatoes with lemony onion, juice and all, into the couscous, mixing with a fork.
- Add nearly all the fresh coriander to the couscous, and stir it through, then taste for seasoning, adding more salt if you need to.
- Spoon some couscous onto each plate and place a salmon fillet alongside, sprinkling with a little more fresh coriander as you hand out each plate.
