Middle Eastern Style Salmon

Weekends allow you to indulge a bit more time in the kitchen. And when I do have a bit more time, I like cooking out of my most favourite cook book, which is Matt Moran's self-titled book. He is owner and head chef of Aria in Sydney. He has also recently published a second cookbook entitled When I Get Home. But mind you, I still like taking short cuts :) The true version of this recipe is called Pan Seared Ocean Trout with Hummus, Roasted Peppers, Cumin and Lemon. I used salmon fillets with skin on instead, bought a can of premade hummus from El Bazaar (Doncaster Westfield), and used half a jar of roasted capsicum instead of charring some capsicums over the flame.

Recipe

4x 250g salmon fillets
a handful of Swiss brown mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
plain flour for dusting fish

Hummus:
I can hummus
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
(mix above and warm over hot stove before serving)

Roasted peppers with honey:
1/2 jar roasted peppers cut into strips
3 garlic cloves crushed
3 tbsp honey
1 sprig thyme- stem removed
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Place honey and garlic in pan. Bring to simmer, add peppers, thyme and red wine vinegar. Leave aside to cool.

Garnish:
A handful parsley
rind of half a preserved lemon, thinly slice
olive oil
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
(combine all the above before placing on top of fish.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Dust skin side of fish with flour, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place some olive oil on hot pan, and place fish fillets skin side down and cook for 2 mins. Scatter mushroom around fish. Dot with some butter. Place pan into oven and cook for another 4 mins (depending how you like your fish, it came out still slightly pink although my hubby and friend would like it to be a bit more rare in the middle)

Smear some hummus on a plate. Place a piece of fish (skin side up) and some mushroom on top of the hummus. Scatter some peppers and drizzle juices on plate. Top with parsley and lemon mixture.