Harissa salmon niçoise salad

Ingredients

For the salad

• 150g small red and purple potatoes
• salt
• 150g green beans, trimmed
• 150g heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved crosswise
• 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs, halved crosswise
• 4 cups lettuce and/or mixed greens, washed, dried and chopped
• 1/4 cup black or niçoise olives, pitted
• Flaky salt and fresh black pepper, for serving

For the salmon

• 200g fresh salmon, skin removed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Prepared harissa (around 1/2 cup – 1 cup depending on size of salmon and your preference)

For the harissa

• 1 large red pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 dried red chillies
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ras el hanout
• 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

For the dressing

• 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely minced
• 1 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp finely chopped preserved lemon peel
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

To make the harissa

Grill the red pepper on high for about 25 minutes, turning occasionally, until blackened on the outside. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool. This is called sweating, and it allows you to easily peel the skin off the pepper. Peel the pepper and discard its skin and seeds.

Rehydrate the chillies by placing them in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and fry the onion, garlic, and rehydrated chillies for 10 to 12 minutes, until dark and smoky. Now use a blender or a food processor to combine all the harissa ingredients until smooth, adding a little more oil if needed.

NOTE: You can also use store-bought harissa.

To make the salmon

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place salmon on a baking dish lined with baking paper and rub with olive oil. Spread harissa thickly on top, reserving the rest for something else. Bake for 10 minutes.

To make the dressing

Mash the anchovies and mustard in a small bowl to form a coarse paste. Add the minced shallot, garlic, and preserved lemon to the bowl and whisk in the white wine vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper as needed.

To make the salad

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover by 3cm. Bring to a boil, season with salt, and cook until fork-tender, 15−20 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Return water to a boil and cook green beans in same saucepan until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water. Chill until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and pat dry.

Using a fork, flake the harissa salmon into large pieces; halve reserved potatoes crosswise.

Arrange lettuce on a platter; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with half of dressing.

Top with separate piles of potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, olives, and salmon. Drizzle salad with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with flaky salt and pepper.

Recipe by Chaya Rappoport for The Nosher, JTA, www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher