Middle Eastern Blackened Salmon with Couscous and Tagine Vegetables
A vibrant, spice-led dish combining pan-blackened salmon with a Middle Eastern twist, served with fluffy couscous and rich vegetable tagine. The tagine vegetables are enriched with a little harissa, tomato and lemon to bring depth and balance to the dish. Finished with lemon, herbs, and sumacShop-bought tagine paste provides a good base but benefits from added acidity and heat. Adjust with harissa and lemon to taste.
Ingredients
Blackened Salmon
- 2 salmon fillets skin on if possible
- 2-3 tablespoons Middle Eastern blackening spice mix
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 25 grams butter
- half a lemon
Tagine Vegetables
- 1 aubergine cut into chunks
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
- 1 red onion cut into wedges
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 tin chickpeas drained
- 1 - 2 tbsp Belazu tagine paste
- 1-2 tsp harissa paste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste optional
- 2 1tbsp olive oil
- 50 ml water or vegetable stock
- fresh coriander chopped
- ½ lemon
Couscous
- 120 grams couscous
- 150 ml vegetable stock or water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
To Finish
- 1 tsp sumac
- extra olive oil
- yogurt or tahini optional
Instructions
Roasted Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Place the aubergine, sweet potato, red onion and carrots on a tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and toss to coat.
- Roast for around 25 minutes until starting to soften and take on colour.
- Remove the tray from the oven and stir in the chickpeas.
- Stir in the tagine paste along with the tomato purée and a small spoon of harissa. Add a splash of water or stock and return to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are coated in a rich, slightly reduced sauce.
- Stir through chopped coriander.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.
Couscous
- Place the couscous in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Pour over the hot stock or water, cover and leave for 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and stir through olive oil.
Salmon
- Heat a frying pan until very hot, then add the olive oil.
- Pat the salmon dry. Brush with some oil from the pan and coat generously with the blackening spice mix.
- Place the salmon in the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes without moving to form a crust. Add the butter and as it melts, brush the top side of the salmon with the oil and butter and sprinkle more blackening spice on top.
- Turn and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Baste the salmon as it finishes cooking. Squeeze over fresh lemon juice.
Assemble
- To assemble, spoon the couscous onto plates and add a generous portion of the tagine vegetables. Place the salmon alongside.
- Finish by sprinkling sumac over the salmon and vegetables, drizzle with olive oil and add a spoon of yogurt or tahini if desired.
- More harissa paste can be added to the plate depending on taste preference
Notes
The same spice blend works well with roasted cauliflower or halloumi for variation. The sumac adds a sharp citrus lift that balances the richness of the salmon and spices.Â
The vegetable tagine can optionally add preseved lemon. It can be made ahead and reheated.Â
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