For a special occasion, roast a side of wild Alaska salmon fillet from frozen, with a Moroccan-style topping of couscous, pine nuts, sultanas, orange zest, cranberries, almonds and pine nuts. Spectacular! Serves 4-6 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour 3 tbsp olive oil 600g (1lb 6oz) frozen Alaska salmon fillet, in one piece 100g (4oz) couscous 150ml (¼ pt) hot vegetable stock Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange 50g (2oz) sultanas or raisins 50g (2oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped 50g (2oz) ready-to-eat dried cranberries 25g (1oz) blanched almonds or pistachio nuts 25g (1oz) pine nuts 1 teaspoon ras-el-hanout spice powder 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or thyme, chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 orange, sliced, to garnish Rosemary sprigs, to garnish
• Preheat the oven to 150°C, fan oven 130°C, gas mark 2. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil into a large roasting tin and place the frozen side of salmon on top • Put the couscous into a heatproof bowl and add the hot vegetable stock, orange zest and orange juice. Leave to soak and swell for about 10 minutes • Add the sultanas or raisins, apricots, almonds or pistachio nuts, pine nuts, spice powder and rosemary or thyme to the couscous. Season, then stir well. Spoon on top of the salmon, then cover the roasting tin with a sheet of foil • Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and arrange the orange slices and rosemary sprigs on top. Return to the oven to cook for a further 10-15 minutes Cook’s tips: Ras-el-hanout spice powder can be bought from good supermarkets, or try ordering on-line from spice suppliers. If you are using thawed salmon, reduce the cooking time to 30 minutes. Recipe from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.