Salmon with Spicy Tomato and Eggplant Compote
I have hardly met a salmon recipe I didn’t like. Like my salmon with coconut milk sauce (swoon) or just my simple sheet pan salmon which I make practically weekly. Salmon is truly one of my favorite foods and there are infinite ways to cook with it!
But this new way I’ve been enjoying my salmon? Well, it’s something else let me tell you! On a recent visit with family, we grilled salmon and served it with a spicy tomato and eggplant compote. I never knew how badly a spicy tomato and eggplant compote was missing from my life until I tasted it, but now I will literally never go back!
I already pride myself on cooking up some pretty tasty salmon. Always prepared very simply, usually with salt, pepper, olive oil, some citrus and maybe some herbs (because when you get it this fresh in the PNW, you don’t need to fuss with it whatsoever).
Following suit and preparing the salmon simply with olive oil, lemon slices, salt and pepper, this recipe is all about the compote. Though it’s slightly a labor of love, just taking some sweet time to roast and become jammy perfection in the oven, the compote really only features a few key ingredients: eggplant and tomatoes, of course, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and, the secret ingredient, chili paste!
The heat is mild yet warming and unexpected in the best possible way. The compote is jammy, earthy and the absolute perfect compliment to succulent, flaky salmon. Garnished off with fresh basil for an essence of fresh, you will never eat salmon the same way ever again after trying this one!
Salmon with Spicy Tomato and Eggplant Compote
Ingredients
1 1/2 - 2 pound fresh salmon filet
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 pound eggplant (2 small or 1 large eggplant), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili paste or gochujang
1/4 cup basil leaves, julienned
Directions
Compote:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a sheet pan, toss tomatoes with olive oil and salt. Roast, shaking the tray once or twice, for 10 minutes. Add garlic and toss with tomatoes. Roast for another 5 minutes, checking in to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
Using a wooden spoon, crush some of the soft tomatoes to begin forming a more jammy consistency. Push garlic and tomato mixture to one side of the sheet pan. Add eggplant pieces; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 10 minutes until eggplant softens.
Stir eggplant and tomato mixture together, crushing more tomatoes if possible. Stir in chili paste or gochujang until well incorporated. Roast for another 20 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water at any point in the process if the compote is looking too dry.
Lower temp in the oven to 250 degrees to keep warm.
Salmon:
In a large casserole dish or sheet pan, lay out your salmon filet and season generously with salt and pepper. Lay lemon slices all along filet and drizzle with olive oil.
If using a grill, grill salmon over low but direct heat on a charcoal grill for 7-12 minutes, until just firm. If roasting, roast salmon at 275 for 25-35 minutes.
Serve salmon with compote and garnish with fresh basil.
