
When I’m looking for a few oohs and ahs at the dinner table, but don’t want to fuss or wash a bunch of dishes, I turn to this simple roasted salmon.
The bright sunset orange of wild salmon is striking against the roasted green beans and red peppers. The whole dish is topped with a bright cherry tomato salad. It’s like an explosion of color, flavor, and aroma.
Oh, and I did I mention, the whole thing is cooked on one baking sheet? Beautiful, tasty, and easy to clean up? My kind of dinner.
I use a dry harissa spice blend for this salmon. This is a Moroccan seasoning that contains a variety of chilies mixed with caraway and coriander. It can also have garlic, sumac, ginger, and cinnamon. I love to add a bit of dried orange peel as well.
There are several good dry harissa blends available online and in well-stocked grocery stores. Be sure to get the dry blend, not the paste, for this recipe.
If you don’t have harissa or you just want a different flavor, you can also try switching up the dry rub for any of your favorite seasonings. Chipotle chili powder, lemon pepper, or bbq rub would all work great here.
The other key to this recipe is to give the veggies a quick roast in the oven before adding the salmon. That way, the veggies get nice and roasted, but the salmon doesn’t get over cooked.
The cooking time for the salmon will vary depending on the size of your salmon and your preferred doneness. For 1 1/2 pounds of salmon, 8 minutes will give you a medium rare and 10 will give you a still-juicy, but fully cooked, salmon.
One-Pan Roasted Harissa Salmon with Vegetables Recipe
If you're not in the mood for the tomato salad, skip it and sprinkle the roasted salmon with chives instead.
Ingredients
For the salmon and vegetables:
- 1 1/2 pounds whole salmon fillet
- 1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed
- 2 medium red bell peppers, sliced
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons dry harissa spice blend (divided)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
For the cherry tomato salad:
- 1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup roasted salted pistachios (optional)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- Pinch of salt (or more if not using the pistachios)
Method
1 Heat the oven to 425F. Line a full sheet pan with foil. (If your sheet pan is too small to fit the side of salmon and the vegetables, cut the fillet in half and cook on two sheets pans.)
2 Remove the pin bones from the salmon with needle nose pliers.
3 Roast the vegetables: Toss the green beans and peppers with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons harissa, and a pinch of salt. Spread on the sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes.
4 Prepare the salmon: Sprinkle both sides of the salmon with the remaining harissa and a 1/4 teaspoon salt, then brush with olive oil. (This helps prevent the spices from scorching in the oven.)
5 Roast the salmon with the vegetables: Pull the sheet pan of veggies from the oven and use a spatula to stir them and clear some space in the middle for the salmon. Return to the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes.
6 Prepare the tomato salad: While salmon is in the oven, use a mini food processor or blender to mix parsley, red wine, and olive oil. Once it’s well-mixed, add the garlic and pistachios (if using) and pulse just a few times. You want some nice chunks in there. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and season with salt to taste.
7 To serve: Scoop the roasted vegetables onto a serving platter and lay the salmon on top. Spoon the cherry tomato salad over the salmon and serve.
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What is harissa?
Hi Shay, here’s what Sabrina writes about harissa in the post: “I use a dry harissa spice blend for this salmon. This is a Moroccan seasoning that contains a variety of chilies mixed with caraway and coriander. It can also have garlic, sumac, ginger, and cinnamon. I love to add a bit of dried orange peel as well. There are several good dry harissa blends available online and in well-stocked grocery stores. Be sure to get the dry blend, not the paste, for this recipe.
If you don’t have harissa or you just want a different flavor, you can also try switching up the dry rub for any of your favorite seasonings. Chipotle chili powder, lemon pepper, or bbq rub would all work great here.”
I only have harissa paste at home right now. Why is it not recommended to use the paste? Thanks!
Hi, Gina! Harissa paste doesn’t work as well for seasoning vegetables, as we do in this dish. If you want to substitute your paste for the spices, I’d skip it with the vegetables (just season with olive oil, salt, and pepper), and maybe a tablespoon or so of harissa paste on both sides of the salmon — however much you need to give it a thin coating. Let us know how it turns out! Enjoy!
Took a while for the harissa spices to come in so wasn’t able to make this right away. I used a side of steelhead salmon, green beans and bell peppers from Costco. I had some issues applying the paste to the fish. Sprinkling it wasn’t very well distributed so I tried to rub it in, but then the moisture from the fish made it clump. I added a little olive oil and the clumps turned into a paste that I could spread better.
I roasted the beans and peppers a little bit longer (because of the clumping) and I think it turned out a bit better because they got a bit more cooked. I then threw the fish right on top of the veg. I thought this was a good idea, but then I had to cook the fish about 5 minutes longer. Without the direct heat of the pan I think it cooked more slowly, and also didn’t crisp the skin (but it was easier).
Overall, this recipe is so easy and very tasty. Definitely need those pistachios in the sauce.
Hi Brandon. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your modifications. When I sprinkle spices/salt, I always use my fingers so I can control it a bit better, but I’m glad the clumping didn’t hold you up too much.
And yes, roasting directly on the pan gives you a more even heat. Also roasting on the veg might cause a bit of a steaming effect for the fish.
Love all the veggies you’ve included in this recipe! And I am always on the lookout for yummy ways to cook fish. Thanks!
Thanks Renee! I love my veggies.
I know what harissa is but what is dry harissa spice blend?
Hi Jen, it’s a spice blend that incorporates the flavors of harissa. I buy the one from Frontier Foods or Spicely. It usually contains chiles, dried garlic, carraway seeds, dried lemon peel, and black pepper.