Harissa Roast Salmon With Lemon Chickpea Couscous Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place salmon in a large baking dish skin-side-down and season with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, use a rimmed baking sheet.)
• Heat butter in a small pot or skillet over medium heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, until butter foams and browns, about 5 minutes. (The whisking will help release the brown butter bits from the bottom of the pot, and those are the bits you want.)
• Add garlic slices, letting them sizzle and brown in the butter for 30 seconds or so, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot and whisk in harissa. Give it a minute or two to sizzle and toast a bit in the butter mixture. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water to the pot, whisking to incorporate.
• Season the brown butter-harissa sauce with salt and pepper and pour over salmon.
• Place in oven and roast until the salmon is just cooked through, but still nicely pink and medium-rare in the center, 12 to 15 minutes for a whole fillet, or 8 to 10 minutes for individual fillets. (If you prefer your fish well done, cook the whole fillet for 15 to 18 minutes, or individual fillets for 12 to 15 minutes.)
• Meanwhile, toss shallot with 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add lettuce and dill and toss to coat; drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Once salmon is just cooked through, remove from oven. Use a large serving spoon to scoop large chunks of salmon onto a serving platter or individual plates, leaving the skin behind in the baking dish. (No need to worry if you get smaller chunks too, but try to get the largest pieces you can.) Spoon any remaining brown-butter sauce from the pan over the fish and squeeze lemon over the top. Sprinkle with a bit more dill, if you have it. Serve with dilly lettuce alongside, and, if you like, potatoes or toast and aioli.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the onions, fennel, garlic and cumin seeds and fry, stirring frequently, for about 15 mins until the vegetables are soft and golden. Stir in the lemon zest and season. Leave to cool.
• Stir the harissa with the agave or honey. Place a salmon fillet, skinned-side down, on a large sheet of baking parchment and spread with half the harissa mixture. Top evenly with the vegetables, then cover with the other salmon fillet, positioning it so that the thickest end is on top of the thinnest end of the other fillet. Can be made up to this point, covered and chilled the day before.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 with a large baking sheet inside. Brush the salmon with the rest of the harissa mixture, then lift (still on the parchment) onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 30 mins. Remove from the oven and check that the fish is cooked all the way through; if not done to your liking, cook 5 mins more and check again.
• To make the couscous, crumble the stock cube into a large bowl and add the harissa, currants and couscous. Meanwhile, put the chickpeas in a bowl with the lemon juice, oil and seasoning. Just before serving, pour 450ml boiling water over the couscous, stir well, then cover with a plate and leave to soak for 5 mins. Add the lemon zest, parsley and mint (if using) to the chickpeas and stir well, then toss through the hot couscous with the flaked almonds. Serve on a big, warm platter with the salmon (the easiest way to transfer the salmon is to lift it still on the parchment, then slide it on top), with lemon wedges on the side. To serve, cut the salmon in slices, or cut thicker slices and halve to make chunky squares.