Name: Harissa Salmon with Warm Couscous & Charred Lemon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 (6 oz each) salmon fillets; 2 tablespoons harissa paste; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 lemon; 1½ cups couscous; 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth; ½ medium red onion; 2 cloves garlic; ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes; kosher salt; black pepper; ¼ cup fresh cilantro

Harissa Salmon with Warm Couscous & Charred Lemon

weeknightseafoodspicyquick

10 minPrep15 minCook4Serves

Ingredients

4 (6 oz each)salmon fillets (skin-on)
2 tablespoonsharissa paste
3 tablespoonsolive oil
2lemon
1½ cupscouscous
2 cupschicken or vegetable broth
½ mediumred onion
2 clovesgarlic
½ teaspoonAleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
·kosher salt
·black pepper
¼ cupfresh cilantro (optional, for garnish)

Prep

01
Mince 2 cloves garlic and dice 0.5 red onion; fold into the couscous after fluffing if you want more allium presence, or skip if you prefer to keep the focus on harissa heat.
02
Juice 0.5 lemon if using fresh juice instead of the charred lemon wedges (optional).

Method

01
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous and 1 tablespoon olive oil, stir, then cover and remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes until couscous is tender and liquid is absorbed.
02
While couscous rests, pat salmon fillets dry and lay skin-side down on a plate. Mix harissa paste with 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread evenly over the flesh side of each fillet. Season with salt and pepper.
03
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When shimmering, place salmon skin-side up and cook 4–5 minutes until skin is crispy. Flip and cook 2–3 minutes more until the fish is cooked through (it should flake easily).
04
Transfer salmon to plates. Add 1 lemon, halved, to the hot pan cut-side down. Char for 2 minutes per side, then squeeze the juice over the salmon.
05
Fluff couscous with a fork and divide among plates. Top with salmon, scatter Aleppo pepper over everything, and garnish with cilantro and a wedge of fresh lemon.

Spice Tips

For milder heat, reduce harissa to 1 tablespoon and skip the Aleppo pepper. For serious spice, bump harissa to 3 tablespoons or add a pinch of cayenne to the top. Fresh cilantro cools the palate; mint or parsley work too.

Harissa paste varies in heat; start with 2 tablespoons and add more if you like extra fire. Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated and taste great cold as a salad base.