Salmon, harissa and cherry tomato spaghetti

Enjoy this moreish pasta recipe, full of flavour, using a unique pastacooking method. Spaghetti becomes a flavour sponge rather than the classic boiling in water; infusing flavour into the spaghetti reduces the need for excess sauce while delivering a delicious meal and reducing the dishes. This is made even more accessible with the sauce and salmon baked together in the oven, keeping the tomatoes and salmon in shape while infusing all of the additional flavours together, concocting the perfect roasted juices to coat the pasta. Once the pasta has soaked up all the flavourful liquid, add the roasted tomatoes and their juices for a finishing touch. Sprinkle in some soft herbs for freshness, and serve it with the baked salmon on top. For a twist sans salmon, add a few dollops of soft goat cheese and voil`a: you've got a dish that's simply irresistible.

Suitable for GF

Ingredients

2 portions salmon, skin on

400500g cherry tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

2 slices lemon

1 heaped Tbsp harissa paste

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt + pepper

170g brown rice spaghetti (glutenfree) 3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 shallot or small onion, diced

20g butter

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp flaky sea salt or 1/2 tsp fine salt

1⁄2 cup white wine

13⁄4 cup water

Parsley + basil

For the salmon & tomatoes:

Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celsius on fan bake.

Add cherry tomatoes, salmon, garlic, lemon, harissa paste and olive oil to a small roasting dish. Season well with salt and pepper and place salmon skin side up.

Bake for 2025min until salmon is just cooked and cherry tomatoes start to burst. Remove from the oven and set aside until needed.

For the spaghetti:

Saute onion and garlic with butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat for five minutes, stirring often.

Add white wine, bring to the boil and then add the water.

Once boiling again, break the spaghetti in half and scatter in the cooking liquid. Mix around and make sure the spaghetti is as submerged as possible. Reduce temperature to mediumlow and cover with the pot lid. Cook for 15 minutes or until pasta is al dente and there is little liquid left; if you need to add more water during cooking, do.

**If you are using wheat pasta, this may take less time, so keep an eye on it.

Assemble:

Transfer the salmon to a plate. Add the cherry tomato mixture to the spaghetti, increase the heat to bring it to a boil, and stir to combine.

Add chopped parsley and basil, however much you like.

Taste and season with extra sea salt and cracked black pepper if it needs it.

Serve pasta in shallow bowls with salmon on top.

Optional extra: Serve with a dollop of either creme fraiche, buffalo cheese or soft goat cheese

Notes:

To make dairyfree, substitute butter for mediumstrength extra virgin olive oil. If using regular wheat pasta, start with 11⁄2 cups of water and add more if needed; wheat pasta will cook faster, so keep an eye on the cooking time.