This Honey Harissa Salmon is the spicy-sweet sheet pan dinner of your dreams. It’s smoky, zesty, a little fiery, and perfectly balanced with sweet honey, lemon, and fresh thyme. Bonus: it’s wildly easy to throw together and makes your kitchen smell amazing while it bakes. The whole thing is ready in under 30 minutes.
Serve it with one of my Mediterranean Side Dishes or Mediterranean Salad Recipes for a complete meal. Pairing and menu ideas below!
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Super Easy, Minimal Prep. Just mix the marinade, spread it on the salmon, and bake. No long marinating time required!
- Seasonal and Flexible. Perfect for cozy fall and winter dinners, but just as great on the grill in summer.
- Bold flavors, simple sides. The harissa-honey combo pairs beautifully with couscous, roasted veggies, or a crisp salad. It’s a similar flavor profile to my Hot Honey Harissa Chicken recipe.
Ingredients
This is a great weeknight recipe. It comes together with just a few pantry and fridge staples. Here’s what you will need:
- Salmon Fillets. Skin-on or skinless both work. Choose center-cut pieces for even cooking. Obviously, fresh would be great, but most salmon available at the grocery store these days is thawed so there’s no shame in buying frozen fillets and thawing them yourself at home. Also, try my Baked Mediterranean Salmon and Mediterranean Salmon Salad recipes.
- Harissa Paste: Harissa is a North African chili paste that is sweet, spicy, and savory. It’s an excellent base for stews and marinades because it has chili peppers, red peppers, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and spices like ground cumin, ground coriander, and caraway. I like to make my own Harissa Paste because I prefer it to be a little smoother for marinating recipes. But jarred works just as well. Jarred Harissa is available in Middle Eastern, North African, and international markets. These days, you might also find it in a well-stocked grocery store (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s). Check out my Harissa Chicken Skewers recipe too!
- Honey: Balances the spice with natural sweetness. Maple syrup is a fine sub. I like the combination of harissa and honey and you’ll find a similar marinade in my Harissa Honey Chicken recipe.
- Fresh Herbs: I am using fresh thyme here. It’s earthy and aromatic. You can swap for dried thyme if needed.
- Grainy Mustard: So this is a bit unusual. I love grainy mustard with salmon. It adds a tangy punch and texture. Smooth Dijon also works. But you can also just omit it.
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make this Honey Harissa Salmon Recipe
Step 1. Make the Marinade and Preheat the Oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). In a small bowl, whisk together the harissa paste, honey, olive oil, lemon juice, grainy mustard, minced garlic, and thyme leaves.
Step 2. Prep the Salmon. Place salmon fillets on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels and season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Step 3. Coat with Marinade. Spoon the harissa mixture evenly over the fillets, spreading it to cover all sides.
Step 4. Bake. Transfer to a preheated oven and bake for 17–22 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches your preferred doneness. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with lemon wedges.
How to Check Salmon Doneness
Using an instant-read thermometer is the most accurate way to ensure your salmon is perfectly cooked:
- Rare: 110–115°F (43–46°C) – very soft and slightly translucent in the center.
- Medium: 125°F (52°C) – moist, tender, and flakes easily.
- Well-done: 145°F (62°C) and up – firmer and more opaque, but be careful not to dry it out.
Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet to check the temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, look for flesh that flakes easily with a fork and is opaque all the way through (unless you like it more on the rare side).
Pairing and Menu Ideas
When it comes to starch, serve it with my plain white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf, Spanakorizo (Greek Spinach Rice), Saffron Rice, Vermicelli Rice, or with my Batata Harra (spicy Lebanese potatoes) or Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes. You can even serve it with my garlic mashed potatoes.
I also recommend making a refreshing salad. My Jerusalem salad (chopped salad), Maroulosalata (Greek Lettuce Salad) or Fattoush work really well.
For a heartier salad, serve this fish with one of my bean or pasta salads. Try it with my Greek Butter Bean Salad, Kale Chickpea Salad or my Mediterranean Pasta Salad.
Like it extra hot? Drizzle on some Sambal Oelek or Shattah (Middle Eastern Chili Paste).
Expert Tips
- Check for pin bones. Run your fingers along the fillets and remove any stubborn bones before baking.
- Check for scales. If you are using skin-on salmon, you may want to check the skin side for any leftover scales. To avoid having to deal with this, just use skinless fillets! Who wants to be scaling fish at home, anyway!?
- Balance your harissa. If your harissa is super spicy, use a little less and add extra honey or lemon juice. Make it your own. Trust your gut and adjust accordingly.
- Line your pan. Harissa and honey can stick and burn slightly, so parchment makes cleanup a breeze.
- Don’t overcook the salmon. It’s ready when it flakes easily and the internal temp hits 125°F for medium or 145°F for well-done.
- Use a fish spatula. It makes lifting the fillets from the sheet pan so much easier without breaking them.
- Use an Air Fryer. This recipe works beautifully in the air fryer, too.
Recipe FAQs
You can prep the marinade a day in advance and refrigerate it. The salmon is best baked fresh, but leftovers are still delicious.
Store cooked salmon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the oven or microwave.
Yes! Freeze cooked salmon in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Reheat gently in the oven or flake into a salad or grain bowl.
Other Main Dish Recipes
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Honey Harissa Salmon (with Garlic, Thyme and Lemon)
Ingredients
Honey Harissa Marinade
- 3 tablespoon Harissa paste
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoon Fresh thyme leaves
- 1-2 Garlic cloves (minced)
Salmon Fillets
- 2 lbs Salmon fillets – 4 fillets, skin on or off
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Garnish
- Fresh cilantro
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Make the Marinade and Preheat the Oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoon Harissa paste, 2 tablespoon Honey, 2 tablespoon Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Olive oil, 1 tablespoon Grainy mustard, 2 tablespoon Fresh thyme leaves and 1-2 Garlic cloves (minced).
- Prep the Salmon. Place 2 lbs Salmon fillets on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon Black pepper.
- Coat with Marinade. Spoon the harissa mixture evenly over the fillets, spreading it to cover all sides.
- Bake. Transfer to a preheated oven and bake for 17–22 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches your preferred doneness. Garnish with chopped Fresh cilantro and serve with Lemon wedges.
Notes
- Salmon Fillets. Skin-on or skinless both work. Choose center-cut pieces for even cooking. Obviously, fresh would be great, but most salmon available at the grocery store these days is thawed so there’s no shame in buying frozen fillets and thawing them yourself at home.
- Harissa Paste: Harissa is a North African chili paste that is sweet, spicy, and savory. It’s an excellent base for stews and marinades because it has chili peppers, red peppers, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and spices like ground cumin, ground coriander, and caraway. I like to make my own Harissa Paste because I prefer it to be a little smoother for marinating recipes. But jarred works just as well. Jarred Harissa is available in Middle Eastern, North African, and international markets. These days, you might also find it in a well-stocked grocery store (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s).
- Honey: Balances the spice with natural sweetness. Maple syrup is a fine sub.
- Fresh Herbs: I am using fresh thyme here. It’s earthy and aromatic. You can swap for dried thyme if needed.
- Grainy Mustard: So this is a bit unusual. I love grainy mustard with salmon. It adds a tangy punch and texture. Smooth Dijon also works. But you can also just omit it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
