Unless it’s smoked, salmon is one of those things that need to be camouflaged to get on Frank’s dinner plate. Harissa seemed like the perfect concealer. Keep reading to see if it worked! Serves 4:
Harissa Salmon
For the Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 to 3 teaspoons harissa (more or less depending on the heat of your harissa)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon sweet paprika
- Salt
For the Salmon:
- 4 salmon fillets (about 1½ pounds total)
- 8 ounces ripe cherry tomatoes
- 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt
Make the marinade: Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, lightly crush the cumin and coriander seeds, then transfer to a wide shallow bowl or baking dish. Stir in the remaining marinade ingredients, along with ¾ teaspoon salt.
Add the salmon fillets to the marinade, spooning it over to coat. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. In a shallow 9”x13” baking dish, toss the tomatoes and shallots with the olive oil and a small pinch of salt. Arrange the salmon fillets evenly on top and pour the marinade directly over the fillets.
Bake until the salmon flakes easily when pressed gently with a fork and the tomatoes have softened, about 22 minutes. Sprinkle the extra cilantro on top, serve and enjoy!
My verdict:
Some beautiful salmon and a good harissa made this a hit! I went easy on the harissa, but we ended up adding more at table. Since I didn’t have any cumin or coriander seeds, I used powdered, but it would be better with grinding the seeds.
To make sure the tomatoes and shallots got enough oven time, I put them in the baking dish while the oven was heating up and they were perfect. The salmon cooked for 22 minutes, but it might have been a bit more cooked than we like. Next time, check it around 18 minutes.
I served it over some couscous—rice or even mashed potatoes would be good too. You could also add some other veggies to the baking tray—maybe zucchini?
