This healthy salmon and couscous salad is packed with fresh herbs, buttery couscous, lemon, sweet red onion and creamy goat cheese.
If you feel like a fresh and healthy dinner, this salmon and couscous is for you. We’re going to perfectly bake our salmon in the oven with lemon and thyme, and nestle it amongst buttery couscous, fresh herbs, juicy tomatoes and goat cheese.
If you’re someone who doesn’t like couscous (dry? tasteless? underwhelming?) then I’m here to tell you there are some key things you need to do when you make it. And once you know, you won’t go back.
First, don’t just pour over boiling water and expect it to hold its moisture. You want to add butter or olive oil to lubricate those lovely little grains and help them hold their moisture and flavour.
Secondly, because couscous absorbs when cooked, it will absorb the flavour of anything you cook in with it, so add in different elements to give your couscous its own vibe. In this recipe I gently cooked garlic and red onion in butter, and the couscous absorbed the flavour of this while it cooked.
Another note on this dish - tomatoes are just coming into season right now and they are beautiful and juicy, and add some perfect tang to our salads. I love tomatoes with red onion, herbs and creamy goat cheese, so get into it!
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Salmon Couscous Salad Ingredients
- Salmon fillets (skin on)
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Red onion
- Lemon
- Goat cheese
- Dried thyme
- Butter
- Couscous
- Rocket
- Parsley
- Mint
- Baby tomatoes
- Lebanese cucumber
- Salt and pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Salmon Couscous Salad
1. Preheat your oven to 200 C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place salmon fillets on a plate. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
- 4 salmon fillets (skin on)
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt
3. Finely chop garlic. Finely slice red onion into thin wedges. Zest and juice 1 lemon, then slice the other into wedges to serve. Cube goat cheese.
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ red onion
- 2 lemons
- 80g goat cheese
4. Lay salmon out on the baking tray, skin side down, and sprinkle with thyme, half the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Put in the oven for 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness and how you like it cooked.
OPTION: You can leave your child’s salmon plain.
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Zest of ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper
5. Boil water in a kettle. Place a large lidded frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. Add butter, and once sizzling, add garlic and red onion. Cook, stirring, until translucent (2 mins).
OPTION: You can skip the red onion now if you think your child won’t want it in couscous, and include it raw later for adults.
- 1.5 cups water
- 50g butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ red onion
6. Add remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, boiled water from the kettle and couscous. Stir, take off the heat and set aside with the lid on for 5 minutes.
OPTION: You can skip lemon juice and lemon zest at this point too, and add to adult plates later.
- Zest of ½ lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1.5 cups boiled water
- 1.5 cups couscous
7. Roughly chop the rocket. Roughly chop parsley and mint leaves. Quarter tomatoes. Finely dice cucumber. You can serve your child’s portion of tomatoes and cucumbers on their plate now, and then place the rest in a serving bowl.
- 90g rocket
- ½ bunch parsley
- ¼ bunch mint
- 200g baby tomatoes
- 1 Lebanese cucumber
8. Fluff couscous with a fork. Option to serve your child their portion of couscous plain now.
For adults, add to the serving bowl and combine with other salad ingredients.
9. Once salmon is cooked, divide couscous salad amongst plates, then top with salmon, goat cheese and wedges of lemon.
For kids, flake salmon (careful of bones), and serve with cucumber, couscous and tomatoes.
- 80g goat cheese
- 1 lemon
Substitutions
- Alternative proteins - Swap salmon for firm fish, chicken tenders, diced lamb or diced beef.
- Vegetarian - Swap salmon for cauliflower steaks or long slices of mushroom.
- Gluten Free - Use GF couscous.
- Dairy Free - Swap butter for olive oil. Skip goat cheese and add avocado or pine nuts or both.
Kid-Friendly Variations
- Serve couscous, tomatoes and cucumber separately.
- Skip the herbs.
- Option to skip the lemon dressing.
- Option to skip the red onion in the couscous and mix it in raw for adults only.
- Option to skip lemon zest and thyme on the salmon.
Some other delicious dinners with Couscous
If I convert you to couscous, then you have to try this Lamb with Red Wine Sauce with herby couscous, or this Mediterranean Chicken with Couscous Tabbouleh. Both so easy and fresh!
Equipment
You will need an oven, a baking tray, baking paper, a kettle, a lidded frying pan or saucepan, a stovetop.
Top tip
If you can find marinated goat cheese like this - well that is the GOAT (pun intended).
Recipe
Salmon with Lemon Couscous
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking tray
- Baking paper
- Kettle
- Lidded frying pan or saucepan
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets skin on
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ red onion
- 2 lemon
- 80 g goat cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1.5 cups water
- 50 g butter
- 1.5 cups couscous
- 90 g rocket
- ½ bunch parsley
- ¼ bunch mint
- 200 g baby tomatoes
- 1 Lebanese cucumber
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Place salmon fillets on a plate. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.4 salmon fillets, 2 teaspoon olive oil, Salt
- Finely chop garlic. Finely slice red onion into thin wedges. Zest and juice one lemon, then slice the other into wedges to serve. Cube goat cheese.2 cloves garlic, ½ red onion, 2 lemon, 80 g goat cheese
- Lay salmon out on the baking tray, skin side down, and sprinkle with thyme, half the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Put in the oven for 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness and how you like it cooked.OPTION: You can leave your child’s salmon plain.1 teaspoon dried thyme, Salt, Pepper
- Boil water in a kettle. Place a large lidded frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. Add butter, and once sizzling, add garlic and red onion. Cook, stirring, until translucent (2 mins).OPTION: You can skip the red onion now if you think your child won’t want it in couscous, and include it raw later for adults.2 cloves garlic, 1.5 cups water, 50 g butter, ½ red onion
- Add remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, boiled water from the kettle and couscous. Stir, take off the heat and set aside with the lid on for 5 minutes.OPTION: You can skip lemon juice and lemon zest at this point too, and add to adult plates later.1.5 cups couscous, 1.5 cups water
- Roughly chop the rocket. Roughly chop parsley and mint leaves. Quarter tomatoes. Finely dice cucumber. You can serve your child’s portion of tomatoes and cucumbers on their plate now, and then place the rest in a serving bowl.90 g rocket, ½ bunch parsley, ¼ bunch mint, 200 g baby tomatoes, 1 Lebanese cucumber
- Fluff couscous with a fork. Option to serve your child their portion of couscous plain now.For adults, add to the serving bowl and combine with other salad ingredients.
- Once salmon is cooked, divide couscous salad amongst plates, then top with salmon, goat cheese and wedges of lemon.For kids, flake salmon (careful of bones), and serve with cucumber, couscous and tomatoes.80 g goat cheese
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