On the third episode of Office Eats, I made grilled salmon filets accompanied by a Greek-style couscous salad. I’ve written about my luke-warm love affair with fish before, and salmon in particular is one of the greater offenders. However, since I figured out a way to make it not only palatable, but actually enjoyable, I thought I’d share.
This recipe is very similar to one I featured a little over a year ago, but this one has an extra key ingredient that takes it to a whole new level. Not to mention that it’s prepared using my cooking method of choice: grilled. The real secret to it’s taste bud success is that I’ve paired it with a side dish that is so full of flavor that if you’re lucky enough to get a flake of fish and a few pearls of couscous in the same bite, you’ll understand why these two dishes are a match made in heaven.
On film shoot day, the crew was happy to finally reach this recipe, because not only did it mean we were halfway through the call sheet for the day, but it signified that we were that much closer to taking our lunch break. Since this was a bonafide production, our production assistant, or PA, fulfilled both a coffee run (I know, I know, but we started really early in the morning), as well as a mad rush for our lunch. You know it’s a sanctioned production when you break for lunch. Trust me on this one.
By the time our PA dutifully jotted down our lunch orders, Kenny, who was upstairs studying the entire time, hadn’t yet come down for a breather, and I was beginning to suspect that he might be getting hungry. Given that we had a date-night scheduled for that evening, I earned my good-wife-stripes early, when I specifically ordered a lunch I knew Kenny would enjoy. He was pleasantly surprised when our PA returned with lunch, and I invited him to join the crew as we chowed down. Little did he know that I was actually more interested in feasting on the fruits of my Office Eats labor than any of the restaurant options.
And now, for your viewing pleasure, click here for episode 3 of Office Eats, from Relativity Media’s #COIN.
- ½ red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1¼ cup low sodium chicken stock
- 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup whole wheat couscous
- 11/2 cup diced seedless cucumber
- 2 Tbs. fresh oregano, minced
- 2 Tbs. fresh mint, minced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 1 cup feta cheese, diced
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
- freshly ground black pepper and Kosher salt to taste
- 2 salmon filets
- 2 Tbs. stone ground dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 Tbs. fresh oregano, minced
- 2 lemons, divided
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt
- *Italian parsley, chopped (optional)
- Place red onions in a small bowl, and cover with red wine vinegar. Set aside to soak.
- In a small saucepan, bring chicken stock and 1 Tbs. olive oil to a rapid boil. Add couscous, stir, cover, and turn off the heat. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine cucumber, oregano, mint, tomatoes, cheese, olives, salt and pepper.
- Once the couscous has steamed and absorbed all the liquid, fluff the couscous and add to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Stir in the red onions and a few teaspoons of the red wine vinegar. Add remainder of the olive oil, and stir to combine ingredients. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later.
- Place filets in a large plastic bag. Add in mustard, garlic, oregano, the juice and zest of 1 lemon, and the olive oil. Close the bag, and massage all the ingredients into the fish. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat your grill (or grill pan) to medium/high heat, spray with cooking spray, and grill fish, skin side down first, for 3 minutes per side.
- Place the fish on plate, and garnish with Italian parsley and fresh lemon juice.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
