There’s nothing like a piece of perfectly cooked salmon with a crispy, crunchy skin, perfectly complemented by boiled green vegetables. Couscous is also a great companion to fish fillet whether grilled, poached or steamed. Any combination with vegetables when you’re serving grilled fish are acceptable, but i prefer to combine them with soft boiled vegetable, whether green or starchy, such as green beans or potatoes. If the fish is prepared by poaching or steaming, then my preferred choice of vegetables would be those hard crunchy one such as broccoli done by grilling. Contrast is the concept when pairing fish with vegetables. It’s important to prep your fish before it goes into the pan to ensure the seasoning is done well. Lay the fillet flat on your chopping board, skin-side up, and score through the skin about half inch deep – you can use the score marks to push herbs (in this dish i’m using rosemary and thyme) into it. Season the fish using fine-salt and freshly ground black pepper, fine-salt is the preference since the grain of a coarse salt could “burn” the fish. Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil over the top.
Serves 4
4 6-8oz (about 200g) salmon steak, scored
4 handfuls of slender green beans, tops removed
4 large handfuls of couscous
a few sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked
a handful of thyme, leaves picked
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Bring a pot of hot water to boil and salt. Add the green beans into the pot and boil until softer, about 10 minutes or so. Put your couscous in a bowl, then pour over just enough boiling water to cover it. Add a slab of butter into the bowl and let melt. Set aside for 3 minutes to allow the couscous to soak up the water. Heat a small non-stick frying pan and add the salmon steak on their side. Cook for 2 minutes, turning the salmon over halfway. Remove the salmon strips to a plate. Prepare another plate, spread the couscous all over and covering the plate, acting as a “base” for the dish. Slide the salmon on top of the couscous, with the green beans to the side. To serve, spoon over some pesto or crème fraîche.
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