This incredibly delicious harissa and citrus baked salmon comes together in 20 minutes and is perfect for dinner and lunches during the busy work week!
It’s always my goal to be able to do meal prep on the weekends and have everything ready to go for a smooth week ahead. But the reality is that that is just not always the case. So, when I don’t have a plan for dinner, I need something quick and delicious!
Every time I go to Costco, I can never resist buying a beautiful piece of salmon. Well, we had a fillet that needed to be made, but I was stuck on what to do with it.
I was looking in my pantry and found a jar of Harissa and immediately thought back to when Heidi of Foodiecrush made chicken grilled under a brick with harissa. I had bookmarked the recipe because it looked so good! The day I was making this, I didn’t have any chicken, the grill wasn’t ready and I didn’t have any bricks handy, so I need I had to get creative.
What ingredients do you need for harissa and citrus baked salmon?
- Salmon filet – about 2 lbs.
- Harissa
- Orange
- Lemon
- Green Onions
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
What is harissa?
- Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili pepper paste. The main ingredients are roasted red peppers, Serrano peppers and other hot chili peppers and spices and herbs, such as garlic paste, coriander seed, or caraway as well as some vegetable or olive oil for preservation (thanks wikipedia).
- You can find it in the Moroccan section of the grocery store – often near Indian items. I bought a mild one and it wasn’t spicy at all! Next time I get harissa I’m going to get the ‘normal’ or spicier version because I’m starting to like dishes with a little bit of heat!
As if made for salmon, the beautiful rich flavors of the harissa with notes of citrus from the orange and lemon baked into the salmon perfectly! The best part was that the salmon (and roasted broccoli I made with it) was done in 20 minutes, AND, since it has less than 5 ingredients it makes the perfect recipe for this week’s Five Ingredient Friday!
But, in case you’re curious, I did try the chicken grilled under a brick with harissa and it was so good!
Harissa and Citrus Baked Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 salmon filet I typically get one that is 2 lbs. or 25-32oz
- 3/4 cup harissa
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 3 green onions chopped (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Pat salmon filet dry with a paper towel and place on the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the salmon filet with salt and pepper, then spoon the harissa over the salmon - use the back of a spoon or a spatula to evenly distribute the harissa over the salmon.
- Cut the orange and lemon in half, squeeze one half of each the orange and lemon over the salmon. Slice remaining halves into slices and place on top of the salmon. Sprinkle green onions over the salmon.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Foodiecrush’s recipe for chicken grilled under a brick with harissa.
SugarSpunRun says
I JUST bought some salmon from the grocery store and was trying to decide how to cook it… I think I just found my answer. This looks incredible 🙂
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much, I think you’ll absolutely love the flavors of harissa and citrus on your salmon 🙂
Little Cooking tips says
We haven’t tried harissa before Phi, and your recipe looks like a great idea to start! Mirella has stomach issues if the food is too spicy (hot) so we’ll opt for the mild version like you mentioned. On the other hand, I love spicy food myself , so perhaps I’ll also buy a spicier version and make 2 salmon fillets:)
Thanx for the delicious idea Phi!
Greetings from both,
Panos and Mirella
Sweetphi says
Thanks for the comment Panos and Mirella! This sauce is delicious in both the spicy and mild, and the mild doesn’t have any heat, so Mirella would love it! It goes really well on salmon and chicken and adds a beautiful flavor. Hope you both have a great week ahead 🙂
KCole's Creative Corner says
I’ve never tried Harissa, but I’ve heard that it is magical 😉 I definitely need to add this to my “RECIPES TO TRY” list! Thanks for sharing these beauties!
Sweetphi says
I think you’d absolutely love harissa and harissa baked salmon, it’s so simple yet flavorful. Thanks for the comment 😉
andrea rentea says
Thank you for the great recipe. Since we really love red pepper will try harissa mild. Your photo look beautiful, good enough to eat.
Sweetphi says
I think you would really like harissa, the mild one was not spicy at all (we found it at that huge international grocery store). The roasted pepper sauce is perfect for baking on top of salmon or chicken! And thank you so much for the compliment about the photography, I really appreciate it!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
This salmon looks and sounds amazing, Phi! Love the spicy and flavourful harissa with the gorgeous citrus! Definitely trying this recipe for dinner soon! Thanks for sharing!
Sweetphi says
I think you’d love the combination of slightly spicy harissa and salmon, it’s so good! Thanks for the comment!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
We had harissa on salmon the other day too. It was actually the first time I had ever had harissa and I have seriously been missing out. It’s amazing!
Sweetphi says
Isn’t harissa awesome? I luckily have a little bit left that I’m totally planning on using on more salmon 🙂
cheri says
Hi Phi, did not know that you could buy harissa sauce like that, your salmon looks delicious!
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much! And yes, harissa comes as a sauce in a jar – I have found it in both the Moroccan and Indian sections of the grocery store 🙂
Shawnna says
hey girl This does sound pretty good!! Something different is always good!!
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much girl! And you’re so right, something different is always good. I love mixing flavors and trying new things out, and this salmon and harissa just came together so well 🙂
Heather - Butter & Burlap says
This recipe makes me think 1) I need to eat more fish, and 2) I need to try harissa!! I’ve been dying to try it, just haven’t kicked my butt in gear yet!
Sweetphi says
Haha girl, i’m right there with you. I always think I need to be eating more fish, and when I do I love it so it always makes me wonder why I’m not! And you should totally try harissa, you’d love it!