Salmon plus tzatziki and a cucumber salad make a fresh, healthy meal.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Bluehouse salmon filet
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon sumac powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper, divided
- Pinch of cayenne powder to taste
- 6 garlic cloves with skin on
- 1 red onion
- 1 lemon
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- ½ of a long English cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or labneh
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sumac powder
- ½ of a long English cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers
- 2-4 small/medium tomatoes
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon torn fresh dill, basil, or mint
About this recipe
Serves 4-6 The tzatziki can be made a day in advance and will keep for up to three days, covered and refrigerated. The cucumber salad is best eaten the day it’s prepared. The cooked salmon will keep for up to three days, covered and refrigerated. Recipe from Atlantic Sapphire.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425˚F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the salmon filet onto the prepared sheet pan and season with ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt. In a bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, harissa paste, sumac, oregano, thyme leaves, paprika, cumin, allspice, ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, and cayenne powder to taste. Spread the mixture all over the top of the salmon filet.
Cut the red onion into wedges and slice the lemon. Arrange the whole garlic cloves, onion wedges, sliced lemon and thyme sprigs around the salmon on the baking sheet then season them with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bake the salmon at 425˚F until it is just cooked through or to your desired doneness for about 20 minutes.
While the salmon is cooking prepare the tzatziki dressing and cucumber salad. To make the tzatziki dressing grate the cucumber then place the grated cucumber into a kitchen cloth and squeeze out as much liquid from the cucumber as you can. The resulting cucumber juice is excellent to drink on its own so don’t discard it. Mix the cucumber with the remaining ingredients in a bowl to finish the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Refrigerate it until you're ready to use it.
To prepare the cucumber salad, cut the cucumber in half and remove the seeds, then cut it into crescent-shaped slices. Cut the tomatoes up into quarters or eighths depending on how large they are. Then toss everything together in a bowl to dress the salad.
To assemble a gyro, spread a little tzatziki onto pita bread. Then layer in the cooked salmon and some of the roasted onions. Squeeze out some of the roasted garlic cloves if you wish. Add the cucumber salad and more tzatziki and top with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with pita bread, lemon wedges, fresh herbs like dill, parsley, mint or basil.
