oven fish

This is such an easy recipe! No fancy equipment, no massive amounts of dirty dishes afterwards, just a baking tray, some foil and you’re good to go. Ah, and there’s the Dukkah of course…

Let me tell you a little something about Dukkah. Don’t you love that word?

Dukkah is a middle eastern condiment. The word Dukkah (pronounced DOO-kah) actually means “to pound”. Herbs and nuts are pound together to form a crumbly substance that is neither a paste nor a powder. It’s mostly eaten as an appetizer. Flatbread is torn into pieces, dipped in olive oil and then dipped in Dukkah. I don’t pound my Dukkah but pulse it in the food processor until rough crumbs.

There are many variations of Dukkah and the composition varies from family to family in the middle east though there are common ingredients, such as sesame , coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. But you can add anything you like really like Nigella or za’atar. And instead of hazelnuts you can use any nut or seed, maybe pine nuts or pistachios. It depends what you’re paring it with so go with the flow. You are going to have some left over Dukkah, just store in an airtight container. It will keep for weeks. Why not try it as an appetizer with olive oil and bread?

Serves 4 – 6

Dukkah Ingredients;

1 cups Hazelnuts
1 cup Sesame Seed
2 tablespoons ground Coriander
2 tablespoons ground Cumin
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Himalayan Salt
2 tsp. Black Pepper, Ground

Method;

Toast the hazelnut over medium heat for about five minutes keeping a close watch on them because they burn very quickly. Keep tossing them around. Add the sesame seeds and toast for an other two minutes until you hear a popping sound. Turn off the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Keep tossing a few times more to mix well. Let cool completely. Put the mixture in a food processor and pulse until medium crumbs. Store in a mason jar.

Ingredients Salmon Fillet and baby potatoes;

2 lbs Salmon fillet, skin removed
3 tbsp. Dukkah
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil

Baby potatoes;

1 lb. peeled and pre cooked baby potatoes
1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
1 tsp. smoked paprika,
1 garlic clove peeled and crushed
salt and pepper

Cucumber – Pomegranate Salad;

1 Cucumber, organic preferably
1 tbsp. Light Olive Oil
2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 C. Pomegranate seeds, fresh or frozen
1 – tbsp. Fresh Dill sprigs

Method;

Preheat the oven to 430° F

Get out a baking tray and line with parchment paper. Now get a piece of aluminum foil large enough for the whole fillet to sit on. Lay it out on the tray diagonally and cover with an other piece of parchment paper. Spray with some cooking oil and place the fillet on top with the dark side down (where the skin was).

Brush the Salmon fillet with the olive oil.

In a small bowl mix the Dukkah with the Parmesan cheese. Cover the entire surface of the fillet with the mixture and press it on with your fingers.

To prepare the baby potatoes, toss all the ingredients in a bowl and spread out along the sides of the salmon fillet.

Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with the cucumber salad.

To make the salad, peel the cucumber leaving on some of the green for color. Slice thin with a mandolin. Place in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.