One-Pan Roasted Harissa Salmon with Vegetables

One-pan roasted salmon, rubbed with Moroccan harissa spice, roasted with green beans, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Easy and elegant!

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

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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.


Links: Looking for more easy salmon dinners? Try these recipes!

Salmon with Tomato, Onions, and Capers

Panko Crusted Salmon

Salmon Teriyaki Skewers with Pineapple

Salmon with Fennel Baked in Parchment

Sake Ginger Glazed Salmon