This week's recipe uses the North African pepper and spice paste harissa to spice up the humble salmon. It's ideally served alongside couscous and a salad for a nutritious and light meal.
Harissa will last for a long time in the fridge with a layer of olive oil on top and is great for spicing up stews and soups or for dipping.
Baked salmon with harissa crust
Serves 4
2 red peppers
5g ground cumin
1g saffron
5g ground coriander
5g chilli flakes
1 garlic clove
3 red chillies
1 lemon
350g fresh breadcrumbs
4 x 200g salmon fillets (skinless)
20ml olive oil
Set the oven 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.
Start by heating a stovetop ring on a medium flame. Place the peppers on forks and hold them above the flame until the skins turn black. Remove them carefully from the heat and wrap them in clingfilm to steam and cool. Once the peppers are cool remove them from the clingfilm and scrape off the blackened skin. Cut the peppers in half and remove the stalks and seeds.
Next place the peppers in a liquidiser along with the cumin, saffron, coriander, chilli flakes, garlic, chillies and the zest and juice of the lemon. Blend the mixture until smooth.
Place the breadcrumbs into a large mixing bowl, add the contents of the liquidiser and mix well with a spatula.
Now place the salmon fillets on a piece of greaseproof paper on a baking sheet, drizzle the olive oil over them and season them well with table salt.
Crumble the harissa crust over the fillets and place them in the oven for eight minutes. Finish off the fillets under a hot grill for three minutes then serve.
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