Lebanese Style Tarator Salmon with Greens & Cherry tomatoes

Prepare Ingredients:

Wash the fresh produce. Roughly chop walnuts. Peel and mince garlic. Peel and small dice ½ the red onion (you will have some leftover). Trim ends of green beans and woody ends of asparagus (discard ends). Cut lemon into 6 wedges. Pick coriander and parsley leaves (discarding stems) and roughly chop.

Cook Salmon:

Pat dry salmon fillets with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little oil. Place a pan (or chargrill pan) over medium heat. Cook salmon for 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness) on each side for medium-rare, or until cooked to your liking. Transfer salmon to a plate to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Toast Walnuts:

Meanwhile, heat a dry pan over medium heat and toast walnuts for 1-2 minutes. Set aside and wipe out pan.

Make Yoghurt Dressing & Tarator Crust:

Yoghurt Dressing: In a small bowl combine yoghurt & tahini with the juice from 2 lemon wedges and the minced garlic. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Tarator Crust: combine diced red onion, toasted walnuts, 1 TBS olive oil (extra virgin if you have it), coriander & parsley and all but a pinch of sumac in a bowl. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Cook Greens and Tomatoes:

Heat the same pan used for the walnuts over high heat. Add olive oil (enough to cover base of pan), asparagus and cherry tomatoes, cooking for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and cook a further minute or 2 until they start to turn bright green and the tomatoes blister. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

You Plate It:

Divide salmon between plates. Spread cooked salmon with a thick layer of yoghurt dressing and sprinkle with tarator crust (and an extra pinch sumac to garnish if you wish). Serve with greens and cherry tomatoes on the side with a lemon wedge for garnish. (Note: this dish can be served at room temperature, so perfect for a balmy summer evening).