Kate's Kitchen: salmon with pomegranate couscous

February tends to be quite a grey month in the northern hemisphere; and of course it’s the month of Valentine’s Day. So this month’s recipe is something bright which also makes a lovely Valentine’s Day meal – salmon with Persian pomegranate couscous. And it's really, really quick to prepare so it works as a deadline dish, too!

 Ingredients (for two): 

• 75g dry couscous 
• 150ml boiling water 
•  ½ tsp harissa spice mix 
• 100g pomegranate seeds 
• 2 sprigs mint (leaves stripped from sprigs and chopped) 
• 2 fillets of salmon 

Method: 

Salmon: place each piece of salmon on a square of foil, add black pepper and a slice of lemon, wrap the fillet loosely in the foil and bake for 25 minutes at 180 degrees C.

Couscous: Stir the spice into the couscous, add the water and cover. Leave for ten minutes, then stir through the chopped mint and pomegranate seeds.

Serve with green vegetables (green beans, romanesco and asparagus all add good colour)

Kate’s very first Harlequin Romance, Ballroom to Bride and Groom, is out now in the US (also available at the M&B website in the UK now, or in UK shops in March). Her latest Medical Romance is also available this month, The Brooding Doc’s Redemption. You can find out more about these books, and Kate, on her website (http://www.katehardy.com/) and her blog (http://katehardy.blogspot.com/)