Lemon Harissa Salmon
You know I am all about a good salmon recipe. And this lemon harissa salmon recipe? Well, it kind of takes the cake.
First of all, let’s talk about the star of the show: the harissa. Harissa, a beautiful, spicy, North African condiment, is an ingredient I’ve been obsessed with for some time now. I adore it in one of my favorite meal prep recipes of all time, lemon harissa chicken with cauliflower and potatoes (get after it!) But in this recipe, I don’t just use your standard harissa that you can find pretty much anywhere, including Trader Joe’s. I’ve lately discovered a harissa that’s so good, I keep it regularly stalked in my pantry: rose harissa.
Before you think to yourself, “rose harissa sounds like eating perfume and I’ll take a hard pass”, think again. The rose is more subtle than you think, adding a warm complexity to an already bold sauce. It perfectly enhances just about everything you cook with it, you’ll want it regularly stocked in your fridge as well!
But in this salmon recipe, the harissa is next level. What makes this recipe so stinking good isn’t just the harissa, but added simple ingredients of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, good sea salt and parsley. Cooked low and slow, the salmon stays perfectly moist under a bed of oily, fragrant harissa oil. Finish it off with more lemon for brightness, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and fresh parsley and you’ll feel like you’re straight out of the BA test kitchen.
Lemon Harissa Salmon
Ingredients
1 1/2 - 2 pound fresh salmon filet, something fatty like a steelhead or King salmon
1/4 cup harissa
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a liquid measuring cup, combine harissa, olive oil and garlic cloves. Spread half of harissa oil in a large casserole dish or baking sheet. Lay half of lemon slices on top of harissa oil. Lay salmon filet over top of oil and lemon slices. Season with Kosher salt then spread remaining harissa oil evenly over top of filet.
Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, spoon any oil over filet. Roast again for 20 minutes.
Let rest for 3-5 minutes. Garnish with remaining lemon slices, fresh parsley and flaky sea salt and serve.
