Seared Salmon in Red Pesto Sauce with Couscous
By Marcus Coates, @homeinriyadh, 29th January 2021
What I love about this dish - and I hope you will, too – is that it looks like a proper meal that would take ages to put together. But the truth, though, is you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time, with a great meal.
First, before we talk recipe, let’s talk couscous.
Couscous is a Maghreb dish made from small granules of semolina. This North African dish is a staple ingredient in Morrocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Sicily. Couscous is a significant source of Selenium, a trace mineral that is hard to find in many foods, and a single serving can contain up to 60% of our daily requirements. According to healthbenefits.com:
“Selenium acts as a powerful antioxidant which acts to lower plaque buildup as well as harmful cholesterol on vein walls and arteries.”
Aside from couscous’s cardiovascular health properties, it can also help fight against cancer, strengthen immunity, promote muscle mass, and heal wounds.
However, aside from the fascinating cultural origins and excellent health-giving properties, the real wonder of couscous is down to the fact that it’s super-easy to prepare: to put that in context, couscous is more straightforward to prepare than pasta!
Okay. Time to check out the recipe.
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 x cups of couscous
1 x large nob of butter
1 x salmon fillet
1 x bunch of coriander
1 x 250g jar of red pesto
Salt & pepper
*Optional for the couscous
1 x tin of peas
1 x tin of butter beans
1 x tin of red kidney beans
Method – couscous
Place two cups of couscous in a bowl, then boil the kettle and add three cups of boiling water over the couscous and chuck in your nob of butter. Leave for a couple of minutes to absorb the water and then fluff it with a fork. And that sir – or madam – is your couscous finished (I told you it was easy).
If you want fancier couscous, you can add some extra ingredients to it. In the picture, I added peas, butter beans, and kidney beans. I’ve also made it before with cashew nuts, red and green peppers and raisin. Go wild and use what’s leftover in your cupboard.
Method – salmon and sauce
Cut your salmon fillet in chunks and sear the pieces in a frying pan on a medium heat on the stove in a little oil. Once the salmon is seared, spoon out the pesto sauce on top of it and add some boiling water to create a sauce. Chop and add the coriander. And it’s done!
As with the couscous, if you don’t have pesto sauce, use any pasta sauce or curry sauce you have, it’ll still taste great.
Serving
Take two bowls and fill half of one side of the bowl with couscous from the container. Spoon the salmon and pesto sauce from the pan into the other half side of the bowl. Garnish with coriander and serve.
Now, that’s what I call quick and easy! And if you don’t believe me, then give it a go.
Warning: the chilli in the photograph was used purely as a prop for the picture. If you choose to use chilli in your dish, then have a glass of water on hand.
"Quick, hand me the couscous. My muscles are wasting away!"
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