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.
What is Harissa?
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.
1 1/2 pounds whole salmon fillet 1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed 2 pepper medium red bell peppers, sliced 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons dry harissa spice blend (divided) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
For the cherry tomato salad:
1 tablespoon 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 kosher salt (or more if not using the pistachios)
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.)
