Salmon chermoula with cucumber salad and preserved lemon-couscous

Dairy Free, Soy Free, Low Calorie

2 Servings, 470 Calories/Serving

30 – 40 Minutes

This delicious recipe is our tribute to Paula Wolfert’s seminal book Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, the first major English-language Moroccan cookbook ever published. It introduced Americans to Moroccan staples we now take for granted, including preserved lemons and chermoula, a bright, herbal sauce traditionally served with fish.

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Ingredients

  • Preserved lemon
  • ½ cup couscous
  • 3 Persian cucumbers
  • Peeled fresh garlic
  • 1 lemon
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Chermoula spice blend (coriander - sweet smoked paprika - granulated garlic - cumin)
  • Two 6-ounce skin-on wild Yukon River salmon fillets

Instructions

1

Cook the couscous

  • Remove any pulp from the preserved lemon; finely chop the peel. Set aside half for the chermoula.
In a small sauce pot, bring 1 cup lightly salted water with 2 to 3 teaspoons butter or oil to a boil. Stir in the couscous, remove from the heat, cover, and let stand until the couscous is tender and the water is absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, stir in half the preserved lemon, and season to taste with salt. Cover to keep warm.
While the couscous cooks, prepare the cucumber salad.

2

Make the cucumber salad

  • Trim the ends from the cucumbers; cut the cucumbers into quarters lengthwise, then cut the quarters into 2-inch lengths.
  • Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure ½ teaspoon.
  • Zest and juice the lemon, keeping the zest and juice separate; set aside the zest and two-thirds of the juice for the chermoula.
In a resealable plastic bag, combine the cucumbers, garlic, and one-third of the lemon juice. Season generously with salt and seal the bag. Using a wooden spoon, smash the cucumbers until they begin to release their juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand while you prepare the rest of the meal.

3

Make the chermoula

  • Strip the parsley leaves from the stems; finely chop the leaves.
  • Finely chop the cilantro.
In a small bowl, stir together the parsley, cilantro, remaining preserved lemon, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, chermoula spice blend, and 2 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4

Cook the salmon

  • Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel; season generously with salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil until hot but not smoking. Add the salmon, skin side down, and cook until the skin is browned and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook until the flesh is opaque and flaky, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness.

5

Serve

Transfer the couscous to individual plates. Top with the salmon and a dollop of chermoula. Serve with the cucumber salad.

Nutrition per serving: Calories: 470, Protein: 22g, Total Fat: 24g, Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Carbohydrates: 43g, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 2g, Added Sugars: 0g, Sodium: 490mg
Contains: fish, wheat

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