Harissa Roasted Salmon and Lebanese Couscous Tabbouleh
Lebanese couscous or moghrabieh (meaning from the Maghreb) is a little pasta-like pearl that is used to make stews and salads. Cooked the same as pasta, it’s got a lovely texture to it and soaks up sauces brilliantly. You can find it in Middle Eastern stores and it’s well worth trying, but if you can’t find it, try using maftoul or failing that orzo. If you are using orzo then you need to adjust the cooking times.
Method
- To make the tabbouleh, cook the Lebanese couscous for 15-20 in a large pan of boiling water over a medium-high heat until just tender. Drain and rinse to cool. Drain again thoroughly.
- Tip the cooked Lebanese couscous into a mixing bowl and chuck in the tomatoes, parsley, mint, lemon, olive oil, pomegranate molasses and a good pinch of salt. Mix well and set to one side for about 10 minutes so the Lebanese couscous can absorb all the flavours.
- Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. Mix the yogurt, harissa, the juice of half the lemon and a good pinch of salt together in a mixing bowl.
- Place the salmon into a separate mixing bowl and add 1/4 of the harissa yogurt. Mix well. Place the fish skin side up onto an oiled grill rack and grill for 5-6 minutes until golden. Remove from the grill. Cover and leave to rest for 2-3 minutes. This will cook them through without over cooking them.
- To serve, toss the tabbouleh and divide between two serving plates and top each one with a piece of salmon. Spoon over any remaining juices from the salad. Add a dollop of the remaining yogurt and tuck in.
Ingredients
Serves 2
For the tabbouleh
110g Lebanese couscous or maftoul
2 tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped
2 handfuls of finely chopped parsley leaves
1 handful of finely chopped mint leaves
The juice of ½ a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Sea salt
For the salmon
200g yogurt
3 tbsp harissa paste
2 salmon fillets, skin on (approx 120g each)
