Introducing our new scandalous friend- Spicy Moroccan Salmon. This authentic Moroccan salmon recipe tastes like a scene from Casablanca- a light fiery heat, juicy salmon, and spices the color of the sunset. Packed with fresh herbs, sweet peppers, and fire roasted jalapeños, this is the next best salmon recipe!
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I feel, just a little bit, like I’m cheating on my absolute winner of a fish recipe(One Pan Spicy Moroccan White Fish), which has been cooked religiously in this house for the last couple years. BUT I thought it was time to discover new fish in the sea, and ohh my! What a catch!
This is a quick easy dish to prepare and the salmon comes out so juicy with just a short bake in the oven. The ingredients are simple but pack a real flavor punch- you’re going to sign up for this moroccan dish every week!
The Backstory
So. Both of these fish recipes aren’t exactly mine, they are from Esther(my moroccan landlady), who hails from good ol’Morocco herself. Although- I did run after her with a teaspoon and write out actual ingredients and measurements so I think I deserve some spotlight here thank you!
Let’s Talk: Fire Roasted Jalapeños
We were handed down a fire-roaster(i’m sure there is a real name for this gadget), from Esther herself. I think she got a new one and wanted to get rid of the old but, I like to think the rust gives my dishes character. (If not, we will pretend.)
How to Roast jalapeños:
First heat up the stove top grill over a flame and add the peppers. The skins will charr up nice and black and once each side is burnt, turn the peppers.
If you don’t have a “fire roaster” you can put the peppers on a baking sheet on the grill setting of the oven, set to high!
Next, remove them to a cutting board with kitchen tongs. Hold the stem of the pepper and with a knife, scrape the burnt skin of the peppers off. You can leave some charred bits- they add lots of flavour.
You can add these roasted jalapeños whole to your cooking, but here we will dice up the flesh and add it to our salmon dish for maximum heat!
Where to Buy a Fire Roaster
Want your own fire roaster? This is a sturdy one from Amazon. If you love Middle Eastern cuisine, it might be a good investment for you. It works wonders for roasting eggplant and making this Sweet Pepper Marmalade too!
Oven Baked Moroccan Salmon
This oven baked salmon is succulent and juicy, by way of cooking it short and sweet. Remember- over– baked salmon equals dry salmon. It really only needs 20 minutes in the oven! That’s it!
Moroccan Spices for Salmon
For the spices in this dish we are getting out our typical Moroccan package:
Turmeric. This healthy orange spice has been used for centuries in Moroccan cooking to get that rich golden colour we are so accustomed to seeing (cous-cous, tagine?). A superfood and powerful antioxidant, this ground spice is inexpensive. (Buy turmeric on Amazon here)
Moroccan Paprika. Not just your normal paprika. Moroccans have taken it to the next level and added olive oil and sea salt to sweet paprika, producing a deep red spice that is full of flavour and eye popping colour. We are a tad obsessed with this stuff! It’s just so gorgeous. (Buy Moroccan paprika on Amazon here)
Garlic. We love garlic in Moroccan cuisine! I used to try to count the amount of garlic cloves Esther puts in each dish, but I would always end up with “A LOT”, so I stopped. Here, we’ll be using only 4 cloves. Once cooked, the garlic gets really soft and is perfect for smearing on warm pieces of challah bread soaked up with all the other flavours. YUM.
Fresh herbs. Parsley and cilantro, (as well as mint to flavour tea), are the favourite herbs of Moroccan cuisine. They contrast with the red salmon and add a lot of colour to this dish, as well as a lovely freshness.
Salmon. Always try to get the freshest salmon available. Fresh fatty salmon will give you the richest, juiciest final dish!
I hope you love this Oven Baked Moroccan Salmon as much as we do! Remember to leave a review or a nice thought in the comment section below- I love hearing what recipes are your favorites!
Don’t forget- for fun and behind-the-scenes, come and join the fam on Instagram!
Oven Baked Moroccan Salmon with Fire Roasted Jalapeños
Ingredients
- 1 pound(500 gram) salmon fillets
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 small tomato, halved and cut into very thin slices
- 3-4 garlic cloves, cut into very small chunks
- 1/4 cup canola, or other vegetable oil
- 1/8 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp moroccan paprika(paprika in oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 Pequín chilies(optional) these are small, hot, dried red chili peppers
- drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- Place the salmon fillets in a bowl and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon. Cover the fish halfway with cold water, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the stovetop grill over a flame to heat up, and grill the jalapeño peppers. Check them every few minutes, and when one side is nice and black, turn them until charred all the way around. Remove from the heat, place on a cutting board, and peel off the charred skin. To do this, hold the stem with a fork and gently scrape off the skin with a knife. You don't have to remove every little bit- little pieces of charred bits add lots of flavour to the fish! Chop up the flesh of the jalapeños and place them in a large bowl. After 10 minutes, rinse the salmon and place in a strainer to dry.
- To the bowl with the jalapeno, add salmon fillets, pepper and tomato, garlic, oil, and all the spices and herbs BESIDES olive oil. Mix everything with your hands until the fish and veggies are coated evenly in spices. Transfer everything to a baking dish, cover the fish with a piece of parchment paper, and then with aluminium foil. (It's not healthy to have aluminium foil directly touching food.) Bake for 20 minutes at 350 F/ 175 C.
- Remove the fish from the oven, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and return, uncovered, to the oven for another 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Ieva says
An amazing weeknight dinner recipe! Healthy and ridiculously flavoursome! Made it a handful of times by now and both myself and my husband love it! Thanks!
Katherine says
I love all the bold flavors in this baked salmon!
Gina says
I’ve made a lot of Moroccan inspired dishes before but never with salmon as the main ingredient, what a great change of pace! So flavorful!