Simple grilled salmon coated in a delicious harissa marinade and served on a bed of herby couscous, this Harissa Salmon with Herby Couscous recipe tastes incredible but is actually very easy to make and takes just 15 minutes.
Harissa Salmon with Herby Couscous
If you are looking for a quick and easy midweek meal that still packs a punch when it comes to flavour, then look no further than my Harissa Salmon with Herby Couscous. This easy peasy grilled salmon recipe is super simple and takes just 15 minutes to make.
All you have to do is mix together a simple marinade of harissa, lemon juice and olive oil, then coat the fish in the marinade and grill under a hot grill for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the couscous (or bulgur wheat) in the normal way, then add garlic, lemon juice and fresh herbs. (It’s a bit like a warm tabbouleh!)
Serve the salmon on top of the herby couscous, with a simple side salad and voila! Quick, easy, nutritious and delicious – that’s 4 of my favourite things!
What is Harissa?
Harissa is a spicy, aromatic paste used in North African and Middle Eastern food. The recipes vary a lot, but the main ingredients tend to be red peppers, chillies, garlic, olive oil, paprika and coriander. It’s delicious as a marinade on fish, chicken and halloumi or as a quick way to add bags of flavour to tagines and stews.
Other recipes on Easy Peasy Foodie, that feature harissa include:
- Sticky Harissa Chicken Traybake with Chickpeas and Kale
- Warm Butternut Squash, Harissa and Halloumi Salad
- Harissa Lamb with Chickpea and Pomegranate Salad
- Harissa Prawns with Coconut Cauliflower Rice
You can check out all my harissa recipes here.
Perfect for lunch, dinner or even a picnic!
This Harissa Salmon with Herby Couscous recipe can be served hot or cold and is great as a quick and easy lunch or midweek dinner.
Served cold, it also makes a great office lunch or even a posh picnic! Once made and cooled, place a quarter of the couscous in each of 4 plastic lidded boxes. Top each pile of couscous with a salmon fillet and refrigerate until needed – really not much more effort than making sandwiches, but tastes way better!
What to serve with harissa salmon
This harissa marinated salmon is delicious served with my herby couscous and a simple side salad. But you could serve also it with plain couscous, bulgar wheat, rice or new potatoes. It also pairs well with my Easy Tabbouleh Salad and/or the herby green lentils from this recipe.
I originally wrote this harissa salmon recipe to be served with herby couscous, but I’ve since discovered it’s even nicer with herby bulgur wheat. See the recipe card for more details.
What to drink with harissa salmon
This harissa salmon recipe pairs beautifully with crisp white wines, such as New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Italian Pinot Grigio. If you prefer red, try a Chilean Merlot or Spanish Garnacha. This recipe also goes very well with rose wines.
What to do with leftover harissa salmon
This is one of the best recipes for leftovers, as it tastes amazing cold! Simply pop any leftovers in a plastic lidded container and place in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze harissa salmon?
Absolutely! Put the couscous and salmon in a plastic lidded container and place in the freezer, where is will keep for up to 1 month. Defrost and eat cold.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Jerk Salmon with Mango and Avocado Salsa
- Easy Salmon Fishcakes
- Soy, Chilli and Ginger Salmon
- Creamy Smoked Salmon and Dill Pasta
Jerk Salmon with Mango and Avocado Salsa
Harissa Salmon with Herby Couscous
Ingredients
Harissa Salmon
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste (I used Bart Ingredients)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 4 fillets of salmon about 120g / 4oz each
Herby Couscous
- 300 g couscous (or bulgur wheat - see note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 450 ml boiling water
- Large handful of mint leaves finely chopped
- Large handful of parsley leaves finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed or grated
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Put the couscous in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and cover with 450ml boiling water. Cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes.
- Pre-heat your grill (broiler) to a medium/high setting.
- Mix together 2 tablespoons of harissa paste, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of ½ a lemon, plus a little salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the salmon fillets to the bowl and coat with the marinade. (If you have a bit more time, you could cover the salmon fillets with clingfilm and put them in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes before grilling, but if you are tight on time, proceed straight to the next step)
- Put the fish under the grill skin side up. Grill for 4 minutes on each side, or until the salmon is done to your liking.
- When the couscous has had 5 minutes, fluff up with a fork and cover again for another 5 minutes.
- When the couscous is ready, stir through the chopped herbs, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Serve a mound of herby couscous on each plate topped with a fillet of harissa salmon. Serve just as it is or with a simple side salad.
Notes
- To make this with bulgur wheat, use 300g (1¼ cups) bulgur wheat and 600 ml (2½ cups) boiling water. Place the bulgur wheat, salt, pepper and boiling water in a pan. Place the pan on a high heat and bring back to the boil. Clamp a lid on and turn the heat off completely (move off the burner if you are on electric) and leave for 10 minutes.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Chloe Edges says
Looks lush! I eat a lot of salmon but never think to have it with couscous. I will now!
Eb Gargano says
It’s a great combo! Thanks 😀 Eb x