• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Recipes
    • Easy Dinners
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Thai
    • Gluten-free
    • Vegetarian

Inquiring Chef

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Easy Dinners
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home > Recipes > Seafood

    Moroccan-Spiced Salmon with Vegetable Couscous

    Published: Jan 24, 2022 · Modified: Sep 30, 2022 · by Jess Smith · Jump to Recipe · Leave a Comment · This post may contain affiliate links.

    moroccan salmon
    moroccan salmon
    salmon and vegetable couscous

    salmon and couscous on a round wooden plate

    A quick Moroccan-spiced marinade adds incredible flavor to salmon filets in this fresh, fast dish. While the salmon marinates and cooks, cook a colorful mix of vegetables to stir into couscous. It’s a colorful meal that is loaded with vegetables and wholesome ingredients. 

    Video Recipe

    Check out the video below for my tips and a step-by-step take on this Moroccan Salmon recipe.

    How to Make Moroccan Salmon with Vegetable Couscous

    • Marinate Salmon - Whisk together a quick marinade with vinegar for tart flavor, honey for sweetness, and a generous portion of Moroccan spice. Add salmon and marinate for 20(ish) minutes.
    • Saute Vegetables - Get a bunch of finely diced vegetables and saute them in butter until very tender and golden brown. (Don’t rush this step - they’ll have the most flavor if cooked for a good long time.)
    • Cook Couscous with Vegetables - Simmer vegetables in stock, stir in couscous, and set it aside. 
    • Bake Salmon - Finally, spread salmon out on a foil-lined sheet pan. Season it with some salt and pepper and bake until tender.
    • Enjoy!

    diced vegetables in a clear glass bowl

    stirring diced vegetables in a skillet

    Tips for Vegetable Couscous

    The key to a great vegetable couscous is to dice them very small and make sure that they are nice and tender before adding the stock and couscous. The smaller the vegetables are diced, the more quickly and evenly they will cook, so let those knife skills shine and dice everything small. 

    How Long to Marinate Salmon

    Salmon can be marinated for up to a day if the marinade doesn’t include citrus. Citrus will start to cook the fish (think ceviche), so marinades with citrus should just be combined with salmon about 20 minutes before cooking. In the case of this salmon recipe, the marinade doesn’t include citrus, so the salmon can marinate for anywhere from 20 minutes to 24 hours.

    stirring couscous in a skillet

    cooked salmon on a foil lined sheet pan

    Ingredient Notes

    • Moroccan Spice - There are many different types of Moroccan-style spice blends and any will work here. I like to use my homemade Ras el Hanout or a Tan-Tan seasoning I purchase from my local spice store. Any type of Moroccan-inspired blend will be delicious here, but you can also mix it up - see below for some ideas.
    • Couscous - Couscous is a quick-cooking grain made from semolina. The recipe below includes slightly more water than what the recipe on the box likely will instruct you to use, but that is because the vegetables will simmer in the cooking liquid, absorbing some as they cook. 

    salmon and couscous on a wooden plate with a fork

    Variations

    • Try a Different Spice - Feel free to use any spice blend you’d like here. If you want something other than Moroccan spice, try it with a BBQ spice rub, garam masala, or a Tex Mex blend. The spices you use will shape the dish, and almost anything will work. 
    • Change the Vegetables - Mix things up by using diced sweet potatoes, squash, leeks, or green beans in place of any of the vegetables listed below. 

    More Salmon Recipes

    • Teriyaki Salmon Stir-Fry with Broccoli and Soba Noodles
    • Salmon Burgers with Creamy Lemon Herb Sauce
    • Blackened Salmon with Citrus Salsa Verde
    • Foil-Roasted Salmon with Chickpeas and Greens
    • Broiled Honey Lime Salmon

    FAVORITE TOOLS

    • Staub 9-inch Oval Baker
    • All Clad Saucepan
    • Half Sheet Pan

    salmon and couscous on a round wooden plate

    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Moroccan-Spiced Salmon with Vegetable Couscous

    A quick Moroccan-spiced marinade adds incredible flavor to salmon filets in this fresh, fast dish. While the salmon marinates and cooks, cook a colorful mix of vegetables to stir into couscous. It’s a colorful meal that is loaded with vegetables and wholesome ingredients.
    To adjust the servings in this recipe, click on the number next to servings.
    Prep Time40 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time55 mins
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Moroccan
    Keyword: easy dinner, easy salmon recipe, fish dish, seafood
    Servings: 4
    Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
    Cost: $10.00

    Equipment

    • Shallow Baking Dish
    • Large Saucepan
    • Half Sheet Pan
    • aluminum foil

    Ingredients

    Moroccan Salmon:

    • 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
    • 1 Tablespoon Moroccan Spice Blend (like Ras al Hanout, store-bought or homemade) 
    • 1 teaspoon Honey
    • 4 Center-Cut Salmon Filets (about 6 ounces each)

    Vegetable Couscous:

    • 2 Tablespoons Butter
    • 1 cup finely diced Carrots
    • 2 cups finely diced Zucchini
    • ½ cup finely diced Red Onion
    • 2 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
    • 1 small pinch Saffron
    • 1 ½ cups Couscous, uncooked
    • ½ cup Golden Raisins (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
    • ⅓ cup Toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds (optional)
    • Chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
    • Greek Yogurt, for serving (optional)

    Instructions

    • In a shallow baking dish, whisk together vinegar, 2 tablespoon olive oil, Moroccan spice blend, and honey. Add salmon filets to the dish and turn them to coat.
    • Leave salmon flesh-side down in marinade and refrigerate for 20 minutes while the oven heats.
    • Preheat oven to 450°F / 232°C.
    • While oven is heating, melt butter in a saucepan. Add carrots, zucchini, and red onion with a pinch of salt. Sauté over medium heat until carrots are very tender, 10 to 14 minutes.
    • Pour stock over vegetables and bring to a boil. Add ground cumin and saffron. When stock is boiling, stir in couscous and salt. Remove from heat. Cover with a lid and let sit until ready to serve (at least 10 minutes).
    • Remove salmon from the refrigerator.
    • Line a sheet pan with foil. Spray it with nonstick cooking spray or brush with some oil.
    • Place salmon flesh-side up on the prepared sheet pan (discard marinade). Season salmon with some salt and pepper.
    • Bake salmon until it flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness).
    • While salmon roasts, fold golden raisins and lemon juice into couscous.
    • Serve salmon over couscous with toasted nuts, parsley, and yogurt.

    Video

    Related

    « No-Noodle Butternut Squash Lasagna
    February is Thai Food Month »

    About Jess

    Hi! I'm Jess. I am the recipe creator and photographer behind the 900+ recipes you’ll find on Inquiring Chef. As a mom to three young kids and professional cook, my mission is to make every moment in the kitchen and around the table count. If you’re looking for easy, flavorful, family-approved recipes, you’ve come to the right place! Learn more about me here.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Welcome! We're Jess and Frank. Since 2010, we have been serving up easy, original recipes here on Inquiring Chef.

    More about us →

    Latest Recipes

    • Cashew Cream Sauce
    • Vegetable and Rice Stuffed Peppers
    • Lasagna Bolognese
    • Falafel Sandwich

    Trending Recipes

    • Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
    • Honey Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
    • Mason Jar Overnight Oats
    • Beef and Broccoli Ramen Stir-Fry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Follow us on Instagram and Pinterest

    Contact

    • Email Us

    Copyright © 2023 Inquiring Chef