Hello, everyone!
Last month I stayed in one hotel in Norway where for lunch was served cacao and chili marinated salmon. I have heard about it, but unfortunately when I was done with my lunch and was almost on the way home. I started looking for the recipe on the internet, and couldn’t find it. So I decided by trial and error approach to developing my own recipe that I will share today with you.
Salmon is a very fat fish, and it is very pleasant to eat it with something refreshing. Lately, I became a huge fan of couscous with vegetables. If to cook salmon with couscous, it takes just 20 minutes and a lot of fun.
Let’s start with salmon, you will need the following ingredients:
- Salmon – 400 g
- Chili – 1 tsp
- Cacao powder – 1 tsp
- Olive oil – 1 tbsp
- Salt and pepper as you like
For couscous salad you will need:
- Couscous – 100 g
- Boiled water – 100 ml
- Tomato – 1 pcs (mine was 135 g)
- Cucumber – 135 g
- Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
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- Ingredients for salmon
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- Ingredients for couscous salad
Step 1. Marinate a salmon
Wash salmon and put in the bowl where you want to marinate a salmon. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of chili, salt, and pepper after you taste. Mix it accurately and then add a 1 tsp of cacao. And carefully distribute it all over the fish. Set aside salmon to marinate.
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- Add olive oil, chilli and salt
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- Mix it all together
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- Size of the teaspoon of cacao
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- Distributed over salmon
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- Covered salmon in cacao
Step 2. Prepare couscous salad
Boil water first, then put 100 g of couscous in the small casserole (or something else that can be covered) and add 100 ml of boiled water in the casserole with couscous (like on the picture below). Cover the casserole with a lid and set a timer for 10 minutes. BTW, casserole should stay on the room temperature surface.
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- Cover couscous with hot water
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- Cover it with a lid and let stay for 10 minutes
While we are waiting these 10 minutes, let’s cut the vegetables for the salad. Cut tomato and cucumber on the pieces like it is shown on the picture.
Cut tomato and cucumber
When 10 minutes are done, couscous will look like one on the picture. Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice and mix it well, then add cut tomato and cucumber. Also, mix it and add salt and pepper after you taste. Our salad is ready.
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- Couscous 10 minutes later
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- Stir couscous before adding other ingredients
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- Add 2tbs of lemon juice and mix
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- After adding lemon juice
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- Add salt, cucumber and tomato
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- Salad is ready
Step 3. Fry the salmon
Since salmon is fat fish, I like to fry on the grill pan. If you don’t have, then take a just regular pan and add a bit of oil there, but remember, you will get a lot of fat when salmon start frying.
I will describe how long you should fry it on each side, but this timing is not the same if you are using a regular pan. But you can use pictures as a guideline. So let’s start.
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- Start frying on high heat for one and a half minute
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- Flip it over, reduce heat and fry for 3 minutes
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- Turn to a side and fry for minute and a half
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- Flip it over and continue frying for minute and a half
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- Salmon is ready, move it to the plate
When grill pan is warmed up on the max heat, put salmon on it with a side where skin is (or was). Let it fry for 1 ½ minute and reduce a heat to medium (I use 6 out of 9), and flip over the fish. Let it fry for 3 minutes, and then turn it on the side. Let it fry for another 1 ½ minute, flip it over and then 1½ minutes more. Fish is ready, take it from the pan to a plate because if you leave it on the hot pan, it will continue cooking.
Step 4. Serve your food
Place ready salmon and salad on the plate and enjoy your food!
