This baked salmon goes on a sheet pan alongside carrots, cauliflower, and chickpeas, all coated in a honey harissa glaze that gets sticky and caramelized in the oven.
Dinner is on the table in 35 minutes with one pan to clean. And the yogurt sauce takes two minutes while the salmon bakes, but don’t skip it because it balances the spice and makes it restaurant-level good.
If you have leftover harissa paste, you need to put CAVA Harissa Honey Chicken Bowls and Harissa Grilled Chicken in your weeknight rotation.
This Is a Complete Dinner, Not Just a Salmon Recipe
The salmon is the centerpiece, but the whole point here is that dinner is done on one pan with zero side dish math. Carrots and cauliflower go in first to get a head start, then the chickpeas and salmon join for the last 12 to 15 minutes.
You don’t need to time anything else (we have enought mental gymnastics happening during the day!).
The yogurt sauce comes together while the salmon roasts! I’ve made a lot of sheet pan dinners, and what makes this one different is the contrast. The cool, garlicky yogurt against the spicy-sweet glazed salmon is the kind of detail that makes a weeknight dinner feels elevated.
What Is Harissa Paste (and Which Brand to Buy)
Harissa is a North African chile paste made with roasted red peppers, chiles, garlic, olive oil, and warm spices. It tastes smoky, a little fiery, and bright all at once. Think of it as a flavor shortcut that does (in 2 tablespoons) what a lot of other ingredients can’t do in 10.
The most important thing to know at the grocery store: you want harissa paste, not harissa sauce.
Most grocery stores only carry the sauce (usually Mina harissa sauce), and if they carry both, the packaging looks similar. The paste is thick and concentrated. The sauce is thinner and significantly milder, so if you grab the sauce by accident it won’t have the same depth (but will work in a pinch).
My brand picks in order are Pur Spices and Zwita. Pur Spices makes a medium harissa and spicy harissa. Zwita makes a mild harissa, spicy harissa, and smoky harissa.
If you’re new to harissa, start with the mild or medium versions and taste before you commit to the full amount. I’m not a huge fan of spice and the Pur Spices medium harissa is perfect for me.
Everything You’ll Need
- Carrots and cauliflower: The carrots get jammy and sweet where they caramelize against the pan. The cauliflower edges turn golden and almost nutty.
- Chickpeas: they’re crispy on the outside and creamy inside. They’re what makes this a full, filling meal and add tons of fiber.
- Skin-on salmon: the skin keeps the fish moist under the glaze while it roasts. You can get a whole fillet (like they sell at Costco), and cut it yourself into fillets, or buy center cut fillets ready to go. Pro tip for cutting salmon, use kitchen sears to cut through the skin.
- Honey harissa glaze: harissa paste (see above section), honey, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. The honey balances the heat and helps the glaze caramelize so you get a sticky top (it’s literally so good).
- Yogurt sauce: Greek yogurt, lemon, garlic, salt, olive oil, and chopped herbs. Parsley and dill both work well (I use both!).
For more sheet pan salmon recipes, try this herb crusted salmon with potatoes and carrots or tahini ginger salmon with sesame asparagus.
How to Make Harissa Salmon on a Sheet Pan
Step 1. Roast the vegetables: Roast for 20 minutes, until the edges are starting to turn golden and the carrots feel tender when pressed with a fork.
Step 2. Make the honey harissa glaze: Mix together the olive oil, harissa, honey, lemon juice, and garlic. Taste your harissa first since brands vary a lot in heat. Pour about two tablespoons into a separate small bowl and set it aside. You’ll use that at the end, and it should never touch raw fish.
Step 3. Glaze the salmon: Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Add the chickpeas, toss with the vegetables, and push everything to two-thirds of the pan. Set the salmon on the open third, skin side down, spread to harissa mixture across the fillets with the back of the spoon. Top each fillet with lemon slices.
Step 4. Roast together: Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the salmon flakes and reads 125 to 130°F at the thickest part. Broil for the last minute if you want a more caramelized glaze on top.
Step 5. Make the yogurt sauce: Stir together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and chopped herbs.
Love sheet pan meals like me? Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and this Green Goddess Chicken with Roasted Vegetables are the ultimate weeknight meals.
The Yogurt Sauce Is Not Optional
It looks like an afterthought on the ingredient list. It isn’t.
The cool, garlicky yogurt is what makes this plate feel complete. The acid from the lemon, the creaminess, and the fresh herbs cut through the richness of the salmon and the heat of the harissa in a way that makes every bite better than the last.
Spoon it on the plate first and set the salmon and vegetables on top, or serve it on the side. Either way, make it.
How to Know When Your Salmon Is Done
Pull it out of the oven when the thickest part reads 125 to 130°F on an instant-read thermometer. That’s medium doneness, and it’s where the texture is best: cooked through, still moist, and silky in the center. I pull mine at or just before 130°F and let it rest for a minute or two. It carries over just enough.
If you don’t have a thermometer, press gently on the thickest part with a fork. When the flesh starts to separate along the white fat lines and the color has shifted from translucent to mostly opaque, it’s ready. There should still be a slight give in the very center.
For a full breakdown of salmon temperatures and methods, How Long to Bake Salmon at 400 answers all your salmon-baking questions.
Vegetable Swaps That Actually Work Here
Carrots and cauliflower are the right choice here because they can handle 20 minutes in a hot oven before the salmon joins them. If you want to swap, choose vegetables with similar density like broccoli, potatoes, or sweet potatoes.
Veggies like asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, or red onion only need 20 minutes of cook-time total, so give them a 5-8 minute head start in the oven, rather than 20.
The chickpeas can be swapped for white beans if that’s what you have. They won’t get as crispy, but they’ll be creamy and good and they hold up to the heat.
If you love honey glazed salmon, adding harissa is the natural next step in your salmon rotation.
More Salmon Recipes You’ll Love
Baked Harissa Salmon with Carrots, Cauliflower and Chickpeas
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Ingredients
Vegetables
- 4 medium carrots peeled and cut lengthwise then into 2-inch sticks
- 1 head cauliflower cut into medium florets
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chickpeas drained and rinsed
Harissa Salmon
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley and/or dill plus more for topping
- Drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a large rimmed sheet pan with olive oil or non stick spray.
- Roast the carrots and cauliflower: Peel and slice the carrots in half lengthwise. If the tops are thicker, quarter them. Cut them into 2-inch sticks. Add them to the sheet pan with the cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Toss to coat and spread it in an even layer. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.4 medium carrots, 1 head cauliflower, 1 Tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Make the harissa glaze: While the veggies roast, mix together the olive oil, harissa, honey, lemon juice, salt, and garlic in a small bowl. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the glaze in a small bowl for topping.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 Tablespoons Harissa paste, 1 Tablespoon honey, Juice from 1/2 a lemon, 3 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the salmon and chickpeas: Remove the sheet pan from the oven, toss the veggies and push them to 2/3 of the pan in a flat layer. Add the salmon to the other third and spread the harissa glaze evenly over the tops of the salmon with the back of a spoon. Place a lemon slice on top of each piece of salmon.1 cup chickpeas, 1 1/2 lb skin-on salmon fillets, 1 lemon
- Bake again: Bake for another 12-15 minutes, until the salmon easily flakes and the internal temperature is 125-130°F for medium salmon. The vegetables should be deeply golden and charred in some places. (optional- broil everything for the last minute).
- Make the yogurt sauce: While the salmon bakes, mix together the yogurt, lemon, garlic, olive oil and salt.1 cup plain Greek yogurt, Juice from 1 lemon, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley and/or dill, Drizzle of olive oil
- Serve the veggies and salmon with the yogurt sauce and more lemon juice and fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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