Tuscan-Spiced Salmon & Garlicky Couscous
with Roasted Zucchini & Spicy Red Pepper Cream Sauce
- Wheat
- Fish
- Milk
Fishing for a new twist on salmon? Or even a hearty brunch idea? We’ve got just the thing! Crispy skin-on fillets—seasoned with a spicy Italian spice rub—are coated in a creamy sauce made of red pepper jam, onion, tangy sour cream, and rich butter. On the side, springy, garlicky Israeli couscous and golden roasted zucchini and sliced onion—if that doesn’t lure you in, we don’t know what will!
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Zucchini
1 unit
Yellow Onion
2.5 ounce
Israeli Couscous
()
10 ounce
Salmon
()
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Red Pepper Jam
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
()
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
()
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 teaspoon
Olive Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
()
Salt
Pepper
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Peel and mince or grate garlic. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Halve and peel onion; slice half into ¼-inch-thick wedges. Finely chop remaining onion until you have 2 TBSP (4 TBSP for 4 servings).
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, 30-40 seconds. Stir in couscous, ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4 servings), and ¼ tsp salt (½ tsp for 4); bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cover. Cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While couscous cooks, toss zucchini and onion wedges on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. • Roast on top rack until golden brown and tender, 14-16 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pat salmon* dry with paper towels and season all over with ¼ tsp Tuscan Heat Spice (½ tsp for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. (You'll use more Tuscan Heat Spice in the next step.) • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add salmon to pan, skin sides down; cook until skin is crisp and fish is almost cooked through, 6-8 minutes. • Flip and cook until fish is opaque and cooked through, 2-3 minutes more. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan.
• Melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in same pan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add ½ cup water, cream cheese, stock concentrate, half the jam, and ¼ tsp Tuscan Heat Spice. (For 4, use 1 cup water, all the jam, and ½ tsp Tuscan Heat Spice.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 2-3 minutes. • Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide couscous, roasted veggies, and salmon between plates. Drizzle salmon with spicy red pepper cream sauce and serve.
Salmon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
- Flavor: Many loved the spicy red pepper cream sauce, calling it "delicious" and "to die for" 🎉. Some found it too sweet; consider adjusting sweetness to taste.
- Ease of prep: Several found the salmon easy to cook perfectly following instructions. Some struggled with timing, finding veggies undercooked or couscous overcooked.
- Suggestions: Try air frying the salmon for a crispy finish. Consider adding lemon zest or butter to boost couscous flavor.
- Portions: Some wanted more couscous and larger veggie portions. A few found the salmon portions small.
- Veggies: Roast zucchini in thicker slices to prevent mushiness. Some enjoyed adding carrots or potatoes for variety.
I have always been nervous about cooking salmon and the directions resulted in PERFECTLY cooked salmon. The sauce was amazing and the couscous were delicious. I undercooked the zucchini but that was not at fault of the recipe. I will look for this recipe again and DEFINITELY plan to order it.
This was a good one! The salmon seasoning was excellent. I feel like the cook time on the zucchini/onions was a little off - the zucchini got quite soggy but the onions could have used more time. They were a nice topping for the couscous however. I was missing the stock concentrate in my bag, so I used chicken broth. That might have changed the consistency but I did like the flavor of the sauce.
The finished plate was kinda bland looking, although the sauce was GREAT! Perhaps a greener or red vegetable medley would be more appealing with this salmon & sauce & couscous. I almost passed by this choice on your menu because of the photo, but I'm SO glad I chose it (thinking it was one of the healthier picks!).
Healthy meal...Really liked and enjoyed the couscous and salmon. Roasted veggies were just okay not good with roasting.. The zucchini was soft and little mushy. The skin on the salmon was not scaled and the instructions were to pat dry salmon. I always clean fish before cooking. Glad, I did because there were scales on the filet of fish. It may not make a difference because when cooked the salmon skin is crispy but not good to eat. The instructions should note if you should leave skin on or off. It is a matter of preference, but the recipe could make suggestions to assist the novice cook.
The couscous and veggies could've used a more interesting seasoning, but the sauce was amazing! We poured it over everything, not just the salmon. Really hope that sauce makes an appearance in future recipes.
Sauce on salmon was fabulous and salmon and veggies were delicious. Only thing is I do not love the couscous. It always seems a bit slimy. Can you try sending quinoa instead?
Holy moly this was delicious. I did use more of the Tunisian seasoning for the salmon and the sauce than the recipe called for - about double - and also used all the red pepper jam and it was amazing
Instructions need to have you slice zucchini into at least 1/2 inch thick slices, if not bigger. Zucchini turns to mush when you drizzle oil on it and roast it. You need thick slices for it to maintain it's shape. Also, please give an option for skinless salmon. Also, it's super annoying when the 2 servings of salmon are completely different shapes and thickness. You have to cook them differently, adding a level of complexity to the dish. (The skin-on and salmon shapes are the reason I don't like the recipe. The meal tastes good.)
I didn't care so much for the large couscous, but the fish, sauce and veggies were really delicious! So nice to have something so different than what I usually cook.
Love the sauce! We used an air fryer for the salmon and it was awesome
