This colourful dish of lightly roasted salmon with a harissa vegetable couscous is rich in antioxidants, thought to be especially helpful for optimal fertility. Salmon is high in omega-3s, which promotes egg health, especially in women in their mid-to late-thirties onwards.

INGREDIENTS – Serves 2

1 carrot, sliced diagonally

1 orange pepper, deseeded and diced

handful of tenderstem broccoli

1/2 red onion, diced

1 garlic clove, sliced

1 tsp harissa paste

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

2 salmon fillets, about 140g (5oz) each

70g (21/2oz) wholewheat couscous

juice and zest of 1/2 orange

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp dried apricots, diced

1 tbsp mixed seeds

handful of mint leaves, chopped

lemon wedges, to serve

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C (400°F/Gas 6). Par-boil the carrot for 5 minutes, until softened slightly. Place the carrot, orange pepper, broccoli, red onion, garlic, harissa, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and the cumin in a baking tray, toss to mix thoroughly, and roast for 20–30 minutes.

In the final 10 minutes of the vegetable cooking time, heat the remaining oil in a large, lidded frying pan over a medium–high heat. Once hot, add the salmon fillets, skin-side down. Cover and fry for about 10 minutes, turning halfway through, until the salmon is cooked through, opaque, and flakes easily when cut with a knife.

In the last 5 minutes of the vegetable cooking, put the couscous, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, and apricots in a bowl and pour over 70ml (2½fl oz) of just-boiled water. Cover with a plate for 5 minutes, then use a fork to separate and fluff the grains. Add the couscous to the vegetables, with the seeds and mint leaves, and stir to combine. Serve the harissa vegetable couscous alongside the salmon, with lemon wedges on the side.

Deliciously Healthy Fertility by Ro Huntriss is published by DK, £20. Out 2 March.