Salmon and Roasted Tomatoes over Couscous

Ok, so this is only the third fish recipe on my blog. Obviously I don't cook a lot of fish, but when I made this dish recently I asked myself why?

This was so delicious and my whole family loved it. Yes, even the kids! I really should be making more fish dinners. It is so good for us! Now this is kind of funny, because I was going to say something about being inspired to cook more fish after this, but looking at my previous salmon posting I already said that. And it was true! I have actually made a couple of other fish dishes since then, but I did not find them worthy of my blog (such high standards here!). This dish however is totally worthy. And can I just add that it is so fun to go out in my garden and snip off bunches of any herb that a recipe calls for. It just makes me so happy! 



For the tomatoes:
6 plum tomatoes (about 1 lb), halved lenghtwise
1 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil


Preheat oven to 450 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Toss tomatoes with sugar, salt and pepper and oil, and arrange,
cut sides up, on a rimmed baking sheet.
Roast in upper third of oven until tender but not falling apart,
about 30 minutes total (they will be joined by the salmon the last 10 minutes or so).


Meanwhile make the Lemon-Oregano oil:
2 garlic cloves, finally chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 basil leaves
12 whole oregano leaves plus 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Heat garlic in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 2-4 minutes. Stir in basil and whole oregano leaves, and slowly simmer 5 minutes. Strain oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup, discarding solids. Stir in chopped oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Set aside.



Make Couscous according to package directions using chicken broth instead of water. When ready, fluff with a fork and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon-oregano oil. Season with salt.

For the Salmon:
6 (6 ounce ) pieces salmon fillet with skin
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup black olives, chopped (Optional)
Salt to taste

Line baking sheet with foil and arrange salmon fillets, skin side down in pan. Drizzle with olive oil, rubbing it over the tops of the fillets, and sprinkle with salt.

Switch tomatoes to lower rack, and roast together with salmon in upper rack until salmon is just cooked through, 10-14 minutes. The salmon will lift easily from the skin, using a flat spatula. Serve with couscous, sprinkle with olives if using, and drizzle with some lemon-oregano oil. Enjoy!

Serves 6


(Recipe adapted from Gourmet, Easy dinners, 2012)