Harissa fish with fattoush from Valli Little’s 5 Nights a Week
Sometimes you just need something quick and simple. Something for a weeknight when you want to cook, but want something easy, light, but still tasty. I was looking for inspiration, but I already knew I wanted fish of some kind. Apart from being light and healthy, it was a seafood type of a weekend…I also cooked a kilo of mussels for dinner the previous night after a super quick dash to the fish markets. A salad was perfect. Assembling, rather than cooking, especially on a hot summer’s evening. I swear this whole recipe took no longer than 15 minutes.
Harissa is a wonder paste. A Middle Eastern spice blend primarily made up of chillis and other spices. It has a myriad of uses, and is an awesome little bundle of heat to have on stand by to spice things up. Sumac, is another middle eastern ingredient made from the dried sumac berry. It’s sour and tangy and great as a rub for bbq’d lamb and other meats.
Harissa Fish with Fattoush
a couple of tablespoons harissa paste
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
2 150g fillets of skinless blue-eye fillets (any mild tasting white firm fish should do)
1 cucumber seeds removed, cut into chunks
3 tomatoes cut into chunks
Salad leaves (The recipe specifies watercress, but I used rocket)
1/2 small red onion slicd thinly
Olives (I didn’t have any)
A slug of olive oil
1 tsp sumac
1 wholemeal pita bread dried in the oven till crisp
Combine the harissa and 1 tablespoon of the juice in a cermaic dish, and add the fish and coat the fillets. Set aside
Place the cucumber, tomatoes, salad leaves, onion and olives in a bowl. Mix the oil, sumac and the rest of the juice in a small jar and shake vigorously. Season to taste. Set aside.
Heat a pan over medium heat. cook fish on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
You can either choose to break up the pita bread and mix through the salad, or serve it on the side.
Check out this recent interview with Valli Little at Not Quite Nigella
Looks great! Love harissa paste.
.-= joey@FoodiePop´s last blog ..Pier (Contemporary/Seafood) – Rose Bay =-.
Mmm love harissa! This looks so tasy and easy, I’m going to try it for dinner soon.
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Fennel Seed & Orange Cakes =-.
Yum, wish I could throw together a lovely meal like that! I’ll have to keep an eye out for some harissa and sumac.
.-= Belle@OohLook´s last blog ..Kangaroo Salad with Asian flavours – hop to it =-.
Malouf’s spice pastes are excellent – great idea to use it with fish!
.-= Trissa´s last blog ..In Search of Perfection… Lychee Perfection =-.
this sounds like my type of meal.
funny this is the second fattoush reference I’ve come across today.
the universe must be speaking to me
Harissa is so versatile. Its a perfect match with the fish. delicious
Lovely meal. I am a big fan of Valli Little’s quick meal idea.
.-= Ellie´s last blog ..Roasted Pork Belly with Garlic and Char Siu Sauce =-.
Looks great. This reminds me, I have a lovely recipe for harissa and my last batch has almost run out…
Love harissa… this looks like a perfect fish dinner… simple and delish!
.-= deana@lostpastremembered´s last blog ..Cosimo de Medici’s Divine Jasmine Chocolate =-.
Harissa is a great way to add flavor to a fish! Your recipe sounds delicious, thanks for sharing
Looks terrific! Just the kind of thing I love eating/making at home too!
.-= Y´s last blog ..Playing favourites =-.
This is a great idea as I’m always trying to find new ways to serve fish
Thanks for the link sweetie! x
.-= Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella´s last blog ..Carrot Cake Ice Cream & an Australia Day BBQ =-.
This looks delicious; thanks for this fabulous idea; have a great weekend and keep up the great blogging!
.-= The Healthy Apple´s last blog ..Flourless Chocolate Cake =-.