Lemony Salmon with Cherry Tomato Couscous
- Heaping 1 cup couscous
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot
- 1 cup freshly boiled water
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 tablespoon garlic flavored oil, plus 1 teaspoon
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 4 salmon fillets
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- This is one of those recipes that is easier to follow than to write: that's to say, there are many bowls involved, which might make this look troublesome and fiddly, but the actual process involved is almost insultingly simple.
- Now, I know that it is not strictly right to indicate that you cook couscous by pouring boiling water over it.
- In an ideal world, I accept, one should soak the grains in cold water before steaming them over hot, but I take the shortcut, and repeatedly and I apologize to those whom I thereby offend.
- Put the couscous into a heatproof bowl, with 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt), 1/4 teaspoon of the paprika, and all the grated ginger.
- Give everything a bit of a mix before adding the hot boiled water.
- Cover the bowl, either with plastic wrap or a plate, and set aside.
- Into another bowl, put the finely chopped onion.
- In a wide, shallow dish, big enough to take the salmon fillets later, zest the lemon into the dish.
- Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl with the onions.
- Add the remaining salt and the paprika to the bowl with the lemon zest and stir in 1 tablespoon garlic flavored oil.
- Halve the cherry or grape tomatoes and put them into yet another bowl.
- Stir in the remaining teaspoon of garlic flavored oil and set aside.
- Heat a large frying pan for the salmon fillets.
- While the pan is getting hot, add the fillets to the dish with the lemon zest and coat both sides with the mixture.
- Put the fillets in the hot pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.
- The fillets should be juicy and have a vivid coral color in the middle, so do check as you cook.
- Meanwhile, uncover and fluff the couscous, which should have absorbed all the water.
- Add the tomatoes with lemony onion mixture and stir with a fork.
- Add nearly all of the cilantro to the couscous, and stir it through, then taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
- Spoon some couscous onto each plate and arrange a salmon fillet alongside.
- Sprinkle with a little more cilantro as you hand out each plate.
couscous, kosher salt, paprika, gingerroot, water, red onion, lemon, garlic, cherry, salmon, cilantro
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/lemony-salmon-with-cherry-tomato-couscous-recipe.html (may not work)