Za’atar Air-Fried Salmon
Air-fried salmon was all the rage on TikTok recently, and I understand entirely why. It's easy, it's fast, and it tastes delicious. The permutations are endless, but here we offer a tasty twist by using za'atar, a middle eastern spice blend. We place the fish on an eggplant and tomato compote to make it a complete, low-carb meal.
SERVINGS: FOUR
INGREDIENTS
4 6-ounce pieces of center cut salmon*
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons Za'atar seasoning
salt
Eggplant Tomato Compote
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5-ounce can, diced tomatoes, strained (if the tomatoes are too chunky, cut them down into smaller pieces using some kitchen shears)
1/2 large eggplant, cut into ½-inch dice
PREPARATION
1 Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel.
2 Brush some tahini on the top side. Sprinkle generously with salt and then with Za’atar seasoning. Pat the seasoning down.
3 Air fry at 400°F for 7-9 minutes depending on size and thickness and let it rest for a couple of minutes.
4 To make the compote, place the eggplant on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Lay out the eggplant and sprinkle generously with salt and wait 10 minutes.
5 Pat the moisture from the eggplant and then place on a plate with paper towels in the microwave for 5 minutes.
6 Heat a sauté pan to medium and add olive oil. Add coriander, salt, ginger, turmeric, salt, garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add eggplant and stained tomatoes and cook down for about 5 minutes.
7 To plate, place the compote on the bottom and a piece of salmon on top.
NOTES
*The best salmon to use in an air fryer are the fattier ones like King salmon or Atlantic. Sockeye or Coho are a bit too lean.
Microwaving the eggplant helps remove some of the moisture and will help the eggplant crisp up faster using less oil.
If your kids don’t like salmon, make them Eggplant a La Norma using the other half of the eggplant. Heat a pan to medium and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 1 clove minced garlic and eggplant and pan fry for about 2 minutes until browned. Remove from the pan. Add 1 14.5 can diced tomatoes (don’t strain) to the pan along with ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes, ¼ teaspoon dried basil, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook down on low for about 5 minutes. Add eggplant back in. Cook some gluten-free pasta and add to this sauce.
