Roasted battata harra with salmon

Battata harra literally means ‘spicy potatoes’. This is traditionally a Lebanese potato salad that is eaten as a cold starter. This recipe takes the same flavours with the addition of salmon to make a perfect main meal.

Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg baby new white potatoes, halved or quartered if large
• 1 red capsicum, sliced lengthways
• ½ red onion, sliced into wedges
• 6 middle-cut salmon fillets, about 160 g each
• 1 lemon

Marinade

• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup coriander leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
• ½ lemon, juice and zest
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp Lebanese baharat (see Notes)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 bird’s eye chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
• pinch black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
3. Place the potatoes, capsicum and onion in a large roasting dish. Pour over half the marinade and toss to coat. Roast for 40 minutes, turning halfway through.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and move them to the side of the dish to make room for the salmon. Place the salmon fillets in the dish and spread the remaining marinade over the top. Cut half the lemon into thin slices and place on top of the salmon. Bake for another 10–12 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked.
5. Serve hot with another squeeze of lemon.

Note

• Baharat is a Lebanese 7 spice mix; sometimes called ‘7 spices’ in Arabic. It’s made up of a mix of paprika, pepper, cumin, cloves, coriander seed, cardamom and nutmeg. Available from Middle Eastern grocers and large supermarkets.

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.