Harissa Salmon

I am not a big fish-eater. Given a choice between fish and another form of protein, I will always choose the latter. This is a dark secret that I keep buried deep in my contrite, Bengali soul. You see, Bengalis' love for fish is legendary -- they eat every kind of fish from the tiniest Mouralas to the giant Katlas. They treat fish with utmost respect, giving each critter the head-to-tail treatment, either consuming the whole thing or finding a way to sneak in the head, the bones, or fish eggs into various savory preparations. Bengalis have fish for lunch and dinner, and if they could help it, in other meals in between. No Bengali feast is complete without at least one fish preparation. In fact, it is completely acceptable to skip other proteins like chicken or goat meat, as long as you are serving a couple of different varieties of fish. Given how much my people love fish, I feel like the black sheep of the entire Bengali clan when I express my dislike for fish. Even now, every time I say the words, "I do not like fish," I feel the collective disapproval of all the elders in the family bearing down on me.

I don't know why or how I developed this aversion to fish. Fresh fish was cooked daily in our house for lunch, but the fish course was the least favorite part of the meal for me. I remember I could never bring myself to munch on the heads and bones of the whole fish served in the daily maacher jhol. My parents would shake their heads and say that I was wasting the best part of the fish. Bengali children were raised to believe that eating the head of the fish would make them smarter and improve their vision. By discarding the fish heads, I was jeopardizing both my intelligence and my eye sight. Looking back, I am not so certain that generations of fish-eating has helped us overcome a general genetic disposition for weak eye-sight, as most Bengali children need glasses at a young age.

Anyway, I was able to break away from my enforced relationship with fish once I left home. Living in parts of the world where fresh-water fish was not readily available, I found that I liked the sea-water kinds even less. The freshwater fish, I could at least enjoy in a crisp Kolkata fish fry, but a cod or a halibut, even when batter-fried, remained smelly and repugnant to me. Over the years, I have discovered that the only time I enjoy eating fish is when it is served raw -- in a sashimi, a ceviche, or a poke bowl. The only explanation that I can offer for preferring fish in this form probably lies in the freshness of the main ingredient.

Despite my general aversion to fish, I cannot argue that it is a source of lean protein, good fats, and a host of vitamins and minerals. So, it is probably not a good idea to exclude fish completely from our diets. When I cook fish though, I try to keep things simple so that my interaction with the main ingredient is minimal. I also prefer either slow roasting fish in the oven or cooking it on the grill so that I can minimize the fishy smell that seems to hang about the house for hours (or may be it is my imagination?) once fish has been cooked on the stove-top. This simple harissa salmon recipe is as easy as it gets with guaranteed results every time. The fish is slow-roasted in the oven and flakes beautifully once cooked. The harissa adds heat and the lemon slices a tanginess. Even a reluctant fish-eater like me cannot resist this dish.

What You Need:
3 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (6-8 oz. each)
3 tbsp harissa paste (I used Trader Joe's harissa paste)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
11/2 tsp salt
Lemon (6-7 thin slices)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Wash salmon fillets and pat dry. Rub the fillets with salt.

Mix harissa paste with olive oil and garlic.

Take an ovenproof casserole dish and spread some of the harissa paste in the bottom of the dish. Scatter lemon slices on top of the layer of harissa paste.

Place salmon fillets on top of the lemon slices. Smear rest of the harissa paste on the salmon, coating all sides.

Place casserole dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, spoon harissa paste that has pooled in the bottom of the pan all over the salmon. Bake for another 15-20 minutes till fish flakes easily.

Serve immediately with a side of steamed white rice.