Everyday dinners
Gluten-free salmon
Salmon baked over smoky tomatoes and chickpeas, with garlic and parsley.
Free guide: thirty gluten-free dinners, with the shopping lists
Cherry tomatoes soften into the chickpeas beneath the salmon, with smoked paprika and garlic flavouring the juices. Everything cooks in one roasting tin, and the chickpeas make it a complete dinner for two.
Give the vegetables a head start before adding the fish, checking that the onion is tender and the base is juicy. Salmon fillets vary in thickness, so check the centre as well as watching the clock.
The recipe
Gluten-free salmon
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total*
- 55 min
- Makes
- 2 servings
*Estimated development timings. No standing time is required. The 40-minute cooking time is an estimate; allow extra time if the onion needs longer to soften, the sauce needs to reduce or the fish is particularly thick. If using frozen salmon, allow time to defrost it fully in the fridge before starting.
Ingredients
Tick things off as you go.
For the tomato and chickpea base
For the salmon and finish
Equipment
- Use a deep roasting tin approximately 25 × 35 cm, with sides at least 5 cm high.
- Use a chopping board, a sharp knife and a colander.
- Use measuring spoons, a measuring jug and a mixing spoon.
- A clean food thermometer is useful for checking the salmon.
Let’s make it.
- 01
Prepare the tin
Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas 6. Put the onion, tomatoes, chickpeas and garlic into the roasting tin. Add 15 ml of the oil, the paprika, 400 ml water, salt and pepper. Stir until the paprika is evenly distributed, then spread into an even layer. Liquid should be visible around the chickpeas.
- 02
Roast the vegetables
Roast for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes and gently pressing some tomatoes to release their juices. At each check, draw a spoon across the bottom: there should be loose juices beneath the vegetables, with no dry patches or sticking. If needed, add the reserved water in 25 ml splashes, using only enough to keep the base moist. Before adding the salmon, check that the onion bends easily under a spoon and the tomatoes squash readily. If the onion is still firm, roast for another 5 minutes and check again. If the vegetables are sitting in a deep pool of watery liquid, roast for a further 5 minutes before checking again; the finished base should be juicy rather than soupy.
- 03
Add the salmon
Check the salmon for pin bones and remove any you find. Stir the vegetables and sit the fillets on top, leaving a gap between them. Drizzle with the remaining 5 ml oil. Both fillets should lie flat without overlapping, with their tops above the cooking liquid. Wash your hands and clean any utensils and surfaces that touched the raw fish.
- 04
Bake until cooked
Bake for 12–15 minutes, allowing longer for thicker fillets if needed. The centre of each fillet should be opaque and separate into flakes when eased apart with a fork. If using a clean food thermometer, check that the thickest part reaches 75°C for 30 seconds. If either fillet is not ready, return it to the oven and check again after 2–3 minutes.
- 05
Finish and serve
Divide the hot chickpeas and tomatoes between two plates and place a salmon fillet on each. Spoon over the cooking juices and scatter with parsley. Each plate should have an equal share of the vegetables and a whole cooked fillet; serve straight away.
Ingredient checks
Use plain salmon without coatings or marinades. Check the chickpeas, smoked paprika and other packaged ingredients for gluten-free suitability and allergen warnings. For someone with coeliac disease, use clean equipment and preparation surfaces and keep the ingredients away from bread crumbs, flour and shared utensils contaminated with gluten.
Allergens: Contains fish from the salmon.; No other UK declarable allergens are intentionally included; check packaged ingredients and substitutions for celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya and sulphites..
Make it work for you
Replace the chickpeas with the same drained weight of tinned butter beans, stirring gently so they keep their shape.
Use 1 tsp gluten-free sweet paprika instead of smoked paprika for a milder flavour.
Replace the salmon with plain boneless trout fillets of similar weight; start checking earlier if they are thinner and use the same doneness checks.
For another day
Divide leftovers into shallow containers, cool promptly and refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep the fridge at 0–5°C and eat within 48 hours.
If freezing, cool and freeze portions promptly in sealed containers. Defrost fully in the fridge and use within 24 hours of defrosting.
Reheat only once, until the fish and chickpeas are steaming hot throughout. The salmon may become firmer when reheated.
Exploding food
What goes in.
The ingredients, seen a little differently. This image is an illustration of the main ingredients; use the written recipe for the full list and quantities.
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