Sheet-Pan Harissa Salmon with Chickpeas and Peppers

Why it works

The staggered timing is the entire technique here, so pay attention to it. Chickpeas and peppers need twenty-five minutes to blister and sweeten. Salmon needs twelve, and a minute past that it goes from silky to chalky, no coming back from it. Put them on the same tray at different times and you get both right, with exactly one pan to wash after. Nutritionally, this is a straightforward high-value plate: 34 grams of protein a serving, most of the fat coming from salmon as EPA and DHA, and the peppers packing more vitamin C by weight than citrus does. Roasting the chickpeas instead of just warming them changes their texture completely, which is what makes them worth eating as their own component instead of a filler. Harissa carries capsaicin, plus the roasted red pepper it's built on.

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets (about 130 g each)
• 400 g tin chickpeas, drained and thoroughly dried
• 3 bell peppers, sliced thick
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, half juiced and half in wedges
• A handful of flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C. Toss the chickpeas, peppers, and onion with one tablespoon each of harissa and olive oil, and spread them on a large tray in a single layer. Crowding the tray steams them instead of roasting them.
2. Roast for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile mix the remaining harissa and oil and rub it over the salmon.
4. Pull the tray out, push the vegetables aside to clear four spaces, and lay the salmon directly on the hot metal. Return for 10 to 12 minutes, until the salmon flakes at the thickest point.
5. Squeeze over the lemon juice and scatter with parsley. Serve with the wedges.