Ottolenghi's Oven-Baked Salmon with Za'atar and Tahina
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Welcome to a culinary experience where the flavours of the Middle East come together in a simple and sophisticated meal. The recipe is taken from Shelf Love, the first cookbook from the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen (publisher’s website), and offers the perfect harmony between tender salmon, aromatic za’atar and creamy tahini.
Overall, the recipe is simple and can be prepared in a matter of minutes. An ovenproof pan is very important, as we will be sautéing the salmon and then placing it in the oven. (If necessary, you can preheat an ovenproof dish in the oven, sear the salmon in the pan and then transfer it to the preheated dish.) Baking in the oven ensures that the salmon is cooked evenly.
The tahini sauce is the secret star of the dish and you can make a bit more. A little tip: fresh lemon has a more pleasant and fresher acidity than concentrated lemon juice. Serve with the spinach and simple boiled potatoes.
If you can’t find za’atar, you can make your own with toasted sesame seeds, sumac, thyme, marjoram, oregano and salt.
Recipe #
Salmon with Za’atar and Tahina (and Boiled Potatoes) inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi
25 minutes
2 portions
Ingredients #
- 2 salmon fillets, approx. 300-350 g in total
- 1 teaspoon za’atar
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 30 ml olive oil
- 175 g baby spinach
- 50 g tahini
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon coriander (fresh)
- Salt and pepper
- as a side dish: 300 g potatoes
Directions #
- Preheat the oven to 220°C convection oven.
- Wash the salmon and pat dry with a piece of kitchen roll. Mix the za’atar, sumac, salt and pepper in a bowl and sprinkle over the salmon to form a crust.
- Peel and halve or quarter the potatoes and place in a saucepan. Cover with water and salt the water. Cover the pan and cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until tender. (Test with a knife: if it comes out of the potatoes without resistance, they are cooked).
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add the baby spinach and season with salt and pepper once it has collapsed. Push the spinach slightly to the side and place the salmon in the centre of the pan, skin side down. Sear briefly, then drizzle with 1 tsp of oil, place in the preheated oven and bake for five minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the garlic and mix with the tahini, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and 50ml water to make a smooth, liquid sauce.
- Remove the pan from the oven briefly with an oven glove and pour the tahini sauce over the spinach. Make sure the sauce does not get on the salmon. Return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and the tahini sauce is bubbling.
- Wash and chop the coriander. When the salmon is coming out of the oven, serve with the potatoes and tahini sauce, drizzled with a little coriander, lemon juice and olive oil.
Carbon Footprint #
In total, two portions of Ottolenghi’s oven-baked salmon with za’atar and tahina have an estimated carbon footprint of 2119 g.
This ranks it number 40 out of 53 recipes published on the blog so far in terms of estimated carbon footprint.
This means that at least three quarters of the recipes published here on the blog so far have a better estimated carbon footprint than this recipe. 🙁Looking at the individual ingredients, the salmon and potatoes stand out. Each accounts for around a third of the weight of the ingredients, but their carbon footprints are very different: while the two salmon fillets produce around 1.6kg of CO2 equivalents, accounting for 77% of the climate impact of this recipe, the potatoes are responsible for a modest 60g of CO2 equivalents (3% of the dish’s emissions).
| ingredient | carbon footprint per kg | carbon footprint (in g) for 2 servings | % of ingredients | % of CO2 emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon | 5.1 | 1641 | 36% | 77% |
| Za’atar | 1.1 | 6 | 1% | 0% |
| Sumac | 1.1 | 6 | 1% | 0% |
| Olive oil | 3.2 | 96 | 3% | 5% |
| Baby spinach | 0.2 | 35 | 19% | 2% |
| Tahina | 0.9 | 43 | 5% | 2% |
| Garlic | 0.5 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| Lemon juice | 0.6 | 7 | 1% | 0% |
| Coriander | 1.2 | 6 | 1% | 0% |
| Salt | 0.7 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| Pepper | 1.2 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| Potatoes | 0.2 | 60 | 33% | 3% |
| Fry salmon | 7 | 0% | ||
| Bake salmon | 148 | 7% | ||
| Cook potatoes | 60 | 3% |
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