Salmon is a nutritional powerhouse. especially for people on a low carb or ketogenic lifestyle. It also lends itself wonderfully to any range of sauces or rubs. This harissa baked salmon is one of my favorite Pesco Mediterranean recipes and can be a quick 10-minute weeknight dinner or a fancy-schmancy dinner party dish!
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RECIPE
What is Harissa?
Uses for Harissa
Homemade Harissa
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What is Harissa?
Harissa is a wonderful North African sauce or condiment that is used to flavor many different kinds of dishes. It typically includes a range of chile peppers, cumin, coriander, caraway and cinnamon and is made into a sauce/paste or used as a powdered spice blend.
Some of the harissa pastes you’ll find in the store are extremely spicy. It varies quite a bit, but I tend to go for the milder harissa so I can taste the complexity of all of the spices and different chiles.
How is Harissa Used in Cooking?
Harissa comes as either a paste or a spice blend. Either way, it can be used as a rub on proteins like the salmon recipe below
Other popular ways to use harissa include:
- to stir into couscous
- to glaze grilled main dishes.
- as a relish or condiment to have on the side with any roasted vegetable or protein.
- stirred into scrambled eggs
- stirred into creamy winter squash dishes
Using Harissa as a Glaze for Salmon
Mixing up harissa paste with mayonnaise and a little lemon juice for the salmon recipe below turned the harissa paste into more of a creamy sauce. So easy and so delicious. This recipe received raves from dinner guests!.
You can easily make your own homemade harissa spice blend or of course. Just use the freshest ingredients you can find and toast the spices for a high quality harissa.
Recipe for Harissa Baked Salmon
Harissa Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces Salmon or 1 large salmon cut into 4 oz fillets
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp harissa powdered spice blend
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 lemon thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 x 12-inch baking dish with oil or something like PAM Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper and arrange salmon in baking dish16 Ounces Salmon, salt and pepper to taste
- In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, harissa, and smoked paprika, stirring until smooth. Spread the mayonnaise mixture over the fish as evenly as possible.1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1-2 tsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp harissa powdered spice blend, 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Place them lemon slices around the salmon and bake in the preheated oven until the fish is hot and has begun to turn opaque (about 6-10 min).1 lemon
- Remove from the oven, turn the oven on broil, and raise the oven rack to the broil position. When up to broil temperature return the salmon to the broiler rack and broil until nicely browned, about 3 min.
- Enjoy the Harissa Glazed Salmon with a glass of wine and refrigerate any leftover for tomorrow’s lunch!
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Notes
Nutrition
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