Pan Fried Salmon With Sun Dried Tomato Couscous & Avocado Yoghurt
Perfectly cooked pan fried salmon served with a vibrant sun dried tomato couscous & a zingy avocado yoghurt.
Servings: 4 Portions
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Large Frying Pan
- Digital Food Probe
- Fish Spatula
Ingredients
- 4 Salmon Fillets See Notes
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 20 g Butter
Avocado Yoghurt
- 1 Large Avocado
- 50 g Greek Yoghurt
- 20 g Olive Oil
- 1 Lime Zest & Juice
- 1½ tbsp Coriander Leaves
- 1 tsp Mint Leaves
Couscous
- 200 g Dried Couscous
- 200 g Boiling Water
- 8-10 Sun Dried Tomatoes
- 3 tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Oil
- 1 Red Onion
- ½ Cucumber
- 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves
- 1 tsp Mint Leaves Torn
To Serve
- 4 Lime Wedges
Instructions
Avocado Yoghurt
- Halve the avocado, remove the stone then scoop out the flesh & place into a food processor.
- To the avocado, add the Greek yoghurt, olive oil, lime, coriander & mint. Season with salt & pepper then blitz until smooth & creamy.
- Transfer the yoghurt to a bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm then refrigerate until needed.Covering the yoghurt's surface stops the avocado from browning quickly. It will start to discolour after a couple of hours so it's best to serve it as soon as possible!
Couscous
- Place the dried couscous into a large mixing bowl & add in 1 tbsp of sun dried tomato oil, a pinch of salt & the boiling water. Give it a stir then cover the bowl with clingfilm & leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Whilst the couscous is soaking, roughly chop the sundried tomatoes, peel & finely dice the red onion & half the cucumber lengthways, scoop out the seeds then slice thinly.
- Once soaked, fluff the couscous up with a fork then add in the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, coriander, torn mint leaves & 2 tbsp of sun dried tomato oil.
- Season the couscous with salt & pepper then give it a good mix. Set aside until needed.
Pan Fried Salmon
- Place the salmon fillets onto a plate & dry the skin with a piece of kitchen paper. Season each fillet all over, with table salt & freshly cracked black pepper.
- Next, add the veg oil to a large frying pan then set over a medium heat. Let the pan heat up for a minute or two (until the oil is shimmering) then add in the salmon fillets, skin side down. As you add in each piece of fish, press down firmly with a spatula for 10-15 seconds (this stops the salmon from curling up & helps crisp the skin up). You might need to cook the salmon in two batches, depending on the size of your frying pan. Make sure to add in more oil, if necessary.
- Cook the salmon for 4-5 minutes, until the skin is crisp & golden then add in the butter & flip the fish over. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Continue cooking the salmon for another 3-4 minutes, basting the fish regularly with the butter. Once cooked, transfer to a plate & leave to rest for 2 minutes.You'll know when the salmon is cooked because it will flake easily, when pressed gently with a fork. The key to perfectly cooked salmon is to pan fry it until it just cooked then let it rest for a couple of minutes before serving.If you take the salmon's internal temperature with a digital food probe it should be 50°c-60°c (122°f/140°f), depending on how well cooked you like your fish.
To Plate
- Take four plates & spoon a quarter of the avocado yoghurt into the centre of each. Use the back of a spoon to spread the yoghurt out into a medium sized circle.
- Next, spoon a generous amount of couscous onto each plate (place it onto one side of the yoghurt) then place the salmon on the yoghurt next to it.
- Add a lime wedge to each plate then serve immediately.
Notes
1. Cooking On An Aga - To pan fry the salmon on an Aga, use the boiling plate. If your pan gets too hot at any point, move over to the simmering plate.
2. Salmon Fillets - For this dish, salmon fillets that weigh around 125-150 grams provide a great portion size. The skin should be left on & any scales or bones removed. Feel free to use a different type of fish if you'd prefer.
3. Couscous - We're using regular dried couscous for this recipe. This is available in most supermarkets & needs to be soaked in boiling water before eating.
4. Avocado Yoghurt - To prevent the avocado from turning brown, we need to serve the avocado yoghurt almost straight away. Cover it's surface with clingfilm & storing it in the fridge means that it can be made around an hour in advance.