Salmon with Lime Creme Fraiche and Citrus Couscous, and Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus

Any meal that has salmon in it is a great meal with me!!

I have been making this dish for many years now, and it always goes down a treat.  I started out using a packaged Ainsley Harriott Citrus Kick Couscous mix, but now make my own version of the couscous.  This is an incredibly easy dish - the hardest part is making the lime creme fraiche!!

If you are not familiar with creme fraiche, and have not seen it at your local supermarket, it is well worth scouting around for.  At my local supermarket it is hidden away with the gourmet cheeses - and any good deli will usually sell it.  It can be a little pricey - but the taste is worth it.  Creme fraiche is very similar to a good thick sour cream, it has a pretty high fat content (usually around the 30% mark) but because of this high fat content it can be whipped and used in place of cream, and is great for cooking as it doesn't curdle like some of the lesser fat content sour creams can.  It has a lovely rich, lush flavour, and once you try it you won't go back to sour cream again!!

Salmon with Lime Creme Fraiche, Citrus Couscous and Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus


Serves 4


4 Salmon Fillets


Lime Creme Fraiche


250g Creme Fraiche
1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 small green shallots, very finely chopped
1 tbs honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Citrus Couscous


Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbs Moroccan seasoning
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
30g butter
1 cup couscous


Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus


1 bunch of asparagus
100g prosciutto
50-100g grated parmesan cheese
garlic olive oil spray
freshly ground black pepper


To make the lime creme fraiche, place all ingredients in bowl, and combine.  Set aside while preparing the rest of the meal.


For the asparagus, remove the woody end of the asparagus by gently bending the woody end of the asparagus until the end snaps off (this way you will always have just the lovely fresh soft part of the asparagus.)


Preheat oven to 180C.


Depending on the number of slices of prosciutto, wrap a slice of prosciutto around 1-2 pieces of asparagus.  Place wrapped asparagus on a baking tray.  When all pieces of asparagus are wrapped, spray with a generous amount of garlic olive oil spray.  Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, and then a generous amount of parmesan cheese.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the asparagus is tender.  This is THE BEST way to eat fresh asparagus!!!

Place the chicken stock, lime juice and zest, coriander, and moroccan seasoning in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the chicken stock comes to the boil.  Remove from the heat, stir in the couscous, place a lid on the saucepan and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes while you cook the salmon.  After 10 minutes, add the butter, and fluff up with a fork - gently combining the butter into the couscous.


Heat a frypan over high heat.  Add a small amount of olive oil to the pan.  Cook the salmon skin side down for approximately 4-5 minutes, or until the skin is lovely and crispy.  Turn over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, and how you like it done.  Remember that salmon is a lot like a good piece of steak - you still want a little pinkness in the middle - do not over cook!!


To serve place the couscous, salmon and several pieces of asparagus on a plate.  Serve the creme fraiche on the side.

This is an absolutely gorgeous, fresh spring meal.  It is also incredibly easy, so if you are entertaining, you can prepare the lime creme fraiche in advance, have the couscous all ready to go, have the asparagus pre-wrapped, then it's all only going to take a few minutes to cook.

To me this meal personifies Spring - you will see Asparagus crop up more and more in my meals during spring - especially this way!!!  So Dear Readers what meal do you love to make when the weather starts to warm up?