Green and Yellow Shakshuka with Salmon (or eggs!)

Leeks have a mild onion flavor, and even though there are a lot in this recipe, it doesn’t overpower the dish.  In fact, they kind of absorb the other flavors, making for a well-rounded meal.  If you aren’t a fan of baby kale, you can substitute baby spinach, but add it, and the parsley, when you add the salmon.  It’s best to slightly undercook the salmon, since it will continue to cook a bit even off the heat.  

This is a super easy way to perfectly poach salmon. Just cook your shakshuka, make a little space for your beautiful fish, add a splash of liquid if needed, slap on a lid and cook for a few minutes.

 I find the best way to check for doneness is to break a piece open, but you can always use a thermometer.  I like an internal temperature of around 125F, which results in relatively opaque meat, but still juicy and moist.

Here I added a garlic-rubbed piece of whole grain toast with Garlic Confit Hummus and a sprinkling of Almond Dakkuh (recipes on the blog).

 The last time I made this, I had some leftover shakshuka, so I heated them up for breakfast the next morning. After the pan of veggies got hot, I made a little divot in the center and added a splash of veg stock to create some steam.  I carefully broke an egg in the divot and covered it with a lid for about 4 minutes until the white was cooked, but the yolk was still runny.  That went down the hatch nicely with a piece of garlic-rubbed and butter-slathered toast.  Eggs can transform anything into a breakfast ;)

Leftovers for breakfast! Poach an egg in the Shakshuka and grill some toast. A great start to the day!

 I like to use whole spices whenever possible.  Toasting them is essential to release their flavor, and a quick cook in a dry skillet until fragrant will do the trick.  Although, you could substitute pre-ground spices here in this recipe, but there’s no need to toast them.  Just use half the amount specified.  As for black pepper, freshly ground is always better.  If you don’t have a pepper mill, you could grind a small amount, like ¼ cup, in a spice grinder to have on hand for a few days.  

Green and Yellow Shakshuka with Salmon

Yield: 4 servings

2 leeks

½ large onion

1 ½ yellow or orange bell pepper

6 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp whole coriander

1 tsp whole cumin

¾ tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp kosher salt

1 large bunch Italian parsley

3 zo baby kale

1 cup vegetable stock – divided

4 1 ½” thick salmon filets

6-8 grinds of black pepper

1.     Trim leeks.  Slice each lengthwise into quarters.  Chop into ½” chunks and place in a large bowl of cold water.  Swish the leek chunks around in the water to loosen any residual grit.  Now, let leeks sit in the bowl undisturbed while you prepare the onion, bell peppers, and garlic.

2.     Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add olive oil and continue to heat until the oil swirls freely around the pan.

3.     Trim and chop onion into a ½” dice.  Add to the hot pan.

4.     Chop bell peppers into ½” chunks and add to the pan.

5.     Roughly chop garlic and add to the pan.

6.     In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast coriander and cumin until fragrant.  Make sure to stir so the spices don’t burn.  When you can smell them, remove them from the pan and crush in a mortar and pestle until broken up, but still course.  Add to the onion mixture with the paprika, oregano, chili flakes, and salt.

7.     Carefully lift out the leek chunks from the cold water without kicking up the any grit that may have fallen to the bottom of the bowl.  Place in a salad spinner and spin to dry.  Add to the onion mixture and continue to sauté until soft, 10-15 minutes.

8.     Roughly chop parsley and add to the skillet with the baby kale and ½ cup stock and cook covered for about 3 minutes to wilt the kale.

9.     If the skillet is mostly dry, add remaining 1/4 - 1/2 cup stock.  Place salmon filets in the sauteed veg mixture, cover and cook for 8 minutes.  Use a timer here!  

10. Remove cover and serve hot with a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.It goes great with your favorite whole grain