Recipes › Coriander › Coriander and Coconut Crusted Salmon
Coriander and Coconut Crusted Salmon
A thick, fragrant crust of blitzed coriander, toasted desiccated coconut, lime and ginger is pressed onto salmon fillets before roasting — the result is somewhere between a Southeast Asian chermoula and a proper herb crust, and it is outstanding. The coriander is used in real quantity here, not scattered on top as an afterthought, so you get deep herbal flavour in every bite. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and a simple cucumber salad.
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Ingredients
- 70 g fresh coriander (leaves, stems, and roots if attached), roughly chopped
- 4 salmon fillets, skin on, about 150g each, pin-bonedor use thick white fish such as cod or hake
- 50 g desiccated coconut
- 3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 lime, both zested, one juiced, one cut into wedges
- 3 tbsp groundnut oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp fish sauceuse tamari or light soy sauce for a pescatarian-only version — note this adds soya allergen
- 1 mild red chilli, roughly chopped, seeds kept in
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt
- 300 g jasmine rice, rinsed
Contains: fish, nuts.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and set aside.
- Toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until it is an even golden brown. Tip immediately onto a plate to stop it cooking further — it goes from golden to burnt fast, so stay with it.About 4 min
- Cook the jasmine rice according to packet instructions or your preferred method. Keep warm until ready to serve.About 12 min
- Put the chopped coriander, toasted coconut, ginger, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, chilli, fish sauce, caster sugar, sea salt and 2 tablespoons of the oil into a food processor. Blitz to a coarse, vivid green paste — you want texture, not a smooth purée. Scrape down the sides and blitz again briefly if needed.About 3 min
- Pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper. Rub the remaining tablespoon of oil over the skin side of each fillet and place them skin-side down on the prepared baking tray. Divide the coriander and coconut paste evenly between the four fillets, pressing it firmly onto the flesh side so it adheres in a thick, even layer.About 5 min
- Roast in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets. The crust should be set and starting to colour at the edges, and the salmon should flake easily when pressed gently in the centre. Do not overcook — a little translucency in the very middle is fine and preferable to dry fish.About 14 min
- Rest the salmon on the tray for 2 minutes before serving. Plate alongside the jasmine rice and offer lime wedges at the table.About 2 min
Tips
- If your coriander has roots attached, use them — coriander roots have an intense, almost earthy depth that stems and leaves alone do not have, and they are perfect for a paste like this.
- Press the crust on firmly and do not be tempted to flip the salmon during cooking — roasting it skin-side down the whole time keeps the crust intact and the flesh moist.
- The crust paste can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge. The flavour deepens overnight, which is only a good thing.
Ring the changes
- Swap the salmon for four large portobello mushrooms, gill-side up, and roast at the same temperature for 18 minutes — the paste soaks into the mushroom and makes a genuinely satisfying vegan main.
- Add 30g of roughly chopped unsalted cashews to the food processor with the other crust ingredients for extra texture and a richer, nuttier flavour — note this will add a nut allergen.
Keeping it
Leftover salmon keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days. Eat cold or warm gently in a low oven (150°C fan) for 8 minutes — avoid the microwave as it makes the fish rubbery and ruins the crust. The crust paste alone keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days.
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