Seared Salmon & Couscous
By Marcus Coates, @homeinriyadh, 24th June 2021
Why bother with couscous?
Now that’s a question that used to keep me up many a night. Why couscous, I used to ask myself repeatedly as sleep evaded me and tiny pieces of semolina danced before my eyes. But you don’t have to suffer the same fate, dear recipe reader, as I have the answer for you!
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 absolute 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!
Ingredients (makes two servings):
1 x salmon fillet (skinned)
½ a packet of couscous
1 x red pepper
A bunch of coriander
Seasoning
Olive oil
Lemon slices for garnish
Cashew nuts (optional)
Raisins (optional)
Method
First, make your couscous in the following way: measure out two cups of couscous, place in a Tupperware container, generously season, add four cups of boiling water and leave the couscous to absorb the water.
Next, chop your red pepper and the coriander and add to the couscous (save some of the coriander for garnish), along with a generous splash of olive oil. Stir with a fork and leave to stand until cool. If you want to give your couscous more oomph, add cashews and raisins to the mix.
Now for the salmon! Take your fillet a slice it into 1cm slivers. Once you have these prepared, heat a pan on the stove, add a splash of olive oil and sear the salmon slices. The salmon should take one minute on either side to sear, tops. Once you’ve seared both sides, remove the pan from the heat until ready to serve.
Serving
The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. As there are only two main components -0 the couscous mix and the salmon, serving up is very easy: heap your couscous in the middle of the plate, then place two to three pieces of the seared salmon on the top. To finish off, add a lemon slice or wedge to the plate and sprinkle over some more coriander (as you can never have too much coriander!).
Jokes
Health, easy recipes, and simple presentation is all well and good, but what about the jokes? I hear you say.
Joke 1:
Salmon are born in a river, swim out to sea for most of their lives, and then one day years later swim back against impossible odds to the very spot where they were born.
And I can’t find my car in the parking lot!
Joke 2:
Q: Why did the lemon go to the doctor?
A: It wasn’t peeling well!
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