The cous cous salad that accompanies it is a lovely and fresh option rather than rice or potatoes. In my OH’s opinion, the pomegranate seeks make the dish as they leave a lovely little fruity burst in your mouth. I got mine from Tesco but they are quite easy to get a hold of these days. You will find them in the aisle with the rest of the prepared fruit.

This was the first time I’ve ever cooked with fresh fennel. Now I know some people don’t necessarily like the flavour of fennel seeds however rest assured, fresh fennel tastes nothing like it. Give it a try and you will be nicely surprised. If you really don’t fancy it (or can’t get a hold of it) just leave it out.  I got mine from Tesco in a two pack and added the rest to my bolognaise the next day!

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 8sp per serving (Flex)

For the salmon

500g boneless side of salmon, skinless and sliced in half length ways

2 tbsp harissa paste

1 tbsp honey

1 onion, finely sliced

½ bulb of fennel, finely sliced (optional but really tasty!)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

Zest of 1 lemon

For the Cous Cous

2 tsp harissa paste

1 vegetable stock cube

¼ tsp cumin

1 tbsp currants

200g dried cous cous

240g tin of chickpeas

Juice of 2 lemons, zest of 1

Handful of fresh parsley and mint, chopped

80g tub of pomegranate seeds

Serving Suggestions

Green Salad

Fat free Greek yoghurt with a swirl of harissa and pinch of smoked paprika through it

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180c and pop in a baking tray to warm up.

Take a large frying pan, spray with 1kal and fry the onions, garlic, fennel and cumin seeds for around 10 minutes until soft.  Add the zest of 1 lemon and leave the onion mixture to cool.

In a small bowl, mix together the harissa and honey.

Then take one half of the salmon, pop onto a large sheet of baking paper and cover with half of the harissa mixture. Top the salmon with the cooled onion mixture and then cover with the other salmon fillet. Cover the top of the second salmon fillet with the remaining harissa mixture.

Take the warmed baking tray out of the oven and lift the baking paper and salmon onto it. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes (or until cooked to your liking).

Whilst the salmon is cooking you can be getting on with making the cous cous salad.

Crumble the stock cube into a large bowl and add the harissa, currents, cumin and cous cous. In another bowl pop the chickpeas and lemon juice and season.

Pour 300ml of boiling water over the cous cous, stir and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Then add the lemon zest, parsley and mint to the chickepeas, stir and then add the whole lot to the cous cous. Finally add the pomegranate seeds to the cous cous and stir through.

Finally swirl the harissa through the Greek yoghurt and top with a pinch of smoked paprika.

You can either serve the salmon on top of the cous cous mixture, or like me, pop the cous cous on the side, salmon adjacent with a nice handful of green salad. Pop a dollop of the yoghurt on the side for a nice dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

The post Harissa Roast Salmon with a Fruity Cous Cous Salad – 8sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients

Serves 2 = 13sp (previously 14pp) each

For the Salmon

½ tbsp olive oil

2 x 130g salmon fillets, raw

2 tsp cumin and ground coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika and turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

For the Salsa

100g tomatoes, finely chopped

½ red onion, finely chopped

½ red pepper, finely chopped

½ fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

Bunch or coriander leaves, chopped

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Juice of half a lemon

Other

2 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt

Other half of the lemon above, quartered

120g basmati rice (tsp of shwartz pilau seasoning if you have it)

Salad leaves

Method

Begin by making the salsa so the flavours have time to mingle together. Literally pop the ingredients in a bowl, mix and pop in the fridge.

Next pop the rice on to boil. I added a tsp of pilau seasoning to the rice for extra flavour.

While it’s cooking, mix the spices together in a bowl and add the salmon, coating well on all sides (reserve a few tsps of this spice mix for later).

Pop the oil in a frying pan, heat up and then add the salmon skin side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then turn and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side until cooked through.

Pop the salmon on two plates, reserving the frying pan. Drain the rice and then add to the frying pan pan with the reserved spices and quickly stir fry for a minute or two. This will really up the flavour. Pop the rice onto the plate next to the salmon, then add the salsa and a few salad leaves. Finish with a tbsp of natural yoghurt with a little lemon stirred in.

Enjoy!

The post Pan Fried Salmon with a Spicy Tomato Salad – 13sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.