Slow-roasted Salmon with Chermoula

This recipe is typical of the Moroccan Jewish community. Fish is often cooked on Friday before the beginning of the Sabbath and marinated overnight. Based on an original recipe kindly sent in by Jack McNulty.

Dinner
Easy
Fish
Time 1-2 Hours
Skill Level Easy
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Ingredients List

Serves 4
  • 3 bunches fresh coriander
  • 1 large bunch parsley
  • 1 clove garlic (chopped)
  • 1 medium onion (chopped fine)
  • 1 medium chili pepper (seeded and finely chopped optional)
  • 2 tbsps sherry vinegar
  • 1 medium lemon (take juice of one)
  • 2-3 medium tomatoes (pureed)
  • 0.5 cups extra virgin olive oil
Metric - US Imperial

Instructions

  1. Oil a baking dish and cover the bottom with a layer of fresh herbs.
  2. Place the seasoned salmon, skin side down, on the herbs.
  3. Lightly oil the top of the salmon and season. Bake at 120° C for about 25 minutes. The salmon should be just set. The salmon is completely cooked just prior to the proteins coagulating, which is obvious from the white stuff coming out of the flesh – a little on the sides is ok, but too much on top means the fish has been overcooked.
  4. Make the Chermoula: Mix together the coriander, parsley, chopped garlic and chopped onion. Crush well using a mortar and pestle until a thick paste forms (add 1 tbsp of olive oil if the mixture is too dry).
  5. Mix the paste with the chopped chili pepper if using, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, seasonings, pureed tomatoes and the remaining olive oil.
  6. Once the salmon is cooked, remove it to a clean platter and completely coat the fish with the chermoula. Allow the mixture to sit for about an hour or two, then enjoy the fish at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate the fish after it has cooked. It will be perfectly safe at room temperature for a couple of hours at minimum.

The fish is tender and delicious the next day with no heating required. Slow-roasting salmon is one way to produce a succulent and tender fish. It is delicious served at room temperature with a Moroccan-style chermoula sauce – a kind of salsa.

Watch Jack McNulty’s step-by-step instructions