Salmon & Chickpea Ratatouille
Serves 2, with leftovers
Pan-fried salmon with charred lemon, served with chickpea ratatouille and feta cheese
Tips:
Crispy Skin Salmon: Make sure the salmon skin is patted dry before frying, and press it gently into the pan with a spatula for those first few minutes to keep it flat. Be generous with the oil and don’t try to move it in the first few minutes otherwise the skin will still be stuck to the pan - you need to wait for it to form a crust before attempting to move it.
Chopping: Dice your veg evenly so everything cooks at the same rate. Start with the aubergine—it needs a little extra time to soften and soak up flavour.
Quality Tomatoes: Go for good-quality chopped tomatoes like Mutti or Napolina to avoid that metallic, acidic taste. They’ll help create a naturally sweet, velvety sauce, plus a little bit of sugar helps to balance it all out.
Garlic: Add garlic after your veg has softened, not before—it’s less likely to burn and will infuse the sauce more evenly.
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
large saucepan with lid
small frying pan- ideally cast iron but any will work
sieve/colander
kitchen roll
spatula/fish slice
Ingredients.
1 aubergine
1 courgette
1 red pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
400g chopped tomatoes, good quality ones like Mutti/Napolina
400g tin chickpeas
1 tsp sugar
Handful fresh basil, approx. 5-10g, leaves only
100g feta cheese
2 salmon fillets, preferably skin on
2 tbsp oil, neutral - for frying
Salt & Pepper
1 lemon
Method.
Remove the salmon fillets from the packaging and pat them dry thoroughly on some kitchen paper. Season both sides generously with salt and set aside to come to room temperature
Cut the aubergine into roughly 1cm cubes and add to a hot dry pan (no oil yet - this improves the texture of the aubergine)
Whilst the aubergine is dry frying, cut the courgette and pepper into similar sized cubes, and finely chop the garlic
Add the courgette & pepper to the pan with a generous glug of olive oil and continue to fry on medium-high for another 5 mins
Turn the heat down a little and add the garlic to cook for 1min, before swiftly adding the chopped tomatoes and drained chickpeas
Season generously with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of sugar, then leave to cook (covered) for around 20mins. Check occasionally to ensure it’s not drying out or sticking to the bottom of the pan
Remove the ends from the lemon and cut it in half. Remove any visible pips
Roughly chop the basil and set aside
Once the ratatouille is around halfway cooked, heat the small frying pan on a high heat
Once the pan is smoking hot, add a few tbsp of neutral cooking oil (not olive oil), and place the salmon fillets carefully into the hot pan, skin-side down. Add the lemon halves too - cut-side down
Leave the salmon to cook (undisturbed) for a few minutes until the skin is crisp, then flip it over and cook for another couple of minutes on it’s flesh side.
Once it’s nearly cooked, remove from the pan, along with the lemon, and set aside to rest for at least 5mins. Don’t be tempted to overcook the salmon as it will continue cooking as it rests.
Stir the basil through the ratatouille and check for seasoning, adding more salt/sugar if needed, then transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle the feta on top
Serve the salmon with the ratatouille, and the charred lemon on the side
