A delicious and healthy dinner in 40 minutes? Ah, yes please! These Harissa Honey Salmon & Rice Bowls are filled with flavour, while delivering all of the nutrients we need for a balanced meal. It’s the perfect dinner for a busy weeknight when you still want something full of flavour. If you love a rice bowl then you also need to try my Teriyaki Ground Turkey Rice Bowls, Asian Ground Chicken Rice Bowls or these Baked Salmon Poke Bowls.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Here’s everything you will need for this delicious salmon recipe, as well as any notes and possible substitutions. I found all of the ingredients at my local grocery store, including the harissa paste! You can find the ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- zucchini – the zucchini gets cut up into rounds, seasoned in salt and pepper and roasted. You can swap it for another veggie like broccolini, golden squash or asparagus.
- harissa paste – you can find harissa paste in most grocery stores in the spice aisle. It’s a spicy chilli paste originating from North Africa. I personally don’t like super spicy foods but this paste in the amount I’ve used it is the perfect spice level.
- honey – it wouldn’t be honey-harissa salmon without the honey but you can swap honey for pure maple syrup.
- lemon juice – you can swap lemon juice for lime juice, however I have made it so you use half of the lemon in the marinade and half in the tzatziki.
- olive oil – always use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil if you can as it is much higher in nutrients and antioxidants than the more processed varieties.
- rice – I love using Jasmine rice for this recipe but you can use basmati rice, another white rice or brown rice. You can also swap for other grains like quinoa or millet.
- spices – ground turmeric and cumin seeds are added to the rice to infuse a subtle flavour.
- sea salt flakes
- arugula – also known as rocket, arugula can be swapped for another green leafy vegetable like baby spinach or lettuce.
- grape tomatoes – similar to cherry tomatoes but quite a bit sweeter. You can use cherry tomatoes if that is what is available.
Tzatziki
- Greek yoghurt – to make this dairy-free, swap for a non-dairy yoghurt like natural unsweetened coconut yoghurt.
- cucumber – I prefer Lebanese cucumber for this recipe, also known as Persian cucumber. You can use English cucumber, however.
- garlic – use 1-2 fresh garlic cloves depending on how garlicky you like your tzatziki.
- fresh lemon juice
- fresh dill – you can swap fresh dill for other fresh herbs like mint or coriander.
To Serve
- pickled red onions – I use my quick pickled red onions recipe but you can also buy them jarred from the store.
How to Make Harissa Honey Salmon Rice Bowls
I’m about to show you just how easy it is to make these salmon and rice bowls. Let’s go!
First, preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F (fan forced). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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Next, get the rice on. See the full recipe at the bottom of this post to see how to clean the rice. Add the cleaned rice to the pan along with the water, turmeric, cumin seeds and some salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer with the lid half on. Once most of the water has been absorbed and there is no longer water bubbling up through the rice, turn the heat off and place the lid on properly. Set aside to steam.
While the rice cooks, add the zucchini to the baking paper lined tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and then spread out into a single layer. Place the tray into the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the marinade by adding the harissa paste, honey, olive oil and lemon juice to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the salmon fillets to the mixture and coat them in the marinade.
Once the zucchini has roasted for 10 minutes, remove the tray from the oven. Push the zucchini up to one end of the tray and then place the marinaded salmon onto the tray. Pop the tray back into the oven. The salmon cooks in 7-10 minutes, depending on how well done you want your salmon cooked. Bake salmon for 7 minutes for medium-rare, 8-9 minutes for medium and 10 minutes for well done, depending on the thickness of your salmon as well!
To make the tzatziki, great the cucumber, place it into a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth. Hold it over the sink and squeeze out any excess liquid. Add the cucumber to a small bowl along with the yoghurt, minced garlic, lemon juice and salt. Stir well to combine.
Use a fork to fluff up the steamed rice. To serve, Add a serve of rice, zucchini, diced grape tomatoes and a handful of arugula to each bowl. Top with a fillet of salmon, a few big spoonfuls of tzatziki, pickled red onions and some fresh dill. Serve warm.
Storage
Store any leftovers in seperate airtight containers. Reheat the zucchini, salmon and rice before eating.
Harissa Honey Salmon & Rice Bowls
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Whisk
- Large saucepan
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 medium zucchini, ends removed, cut into rounds
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 3 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 salmon fillets, approximately 600 grams
- 60 grams rocket
- 200 grams grape tomatoes, quartered
Tzatziki
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 Lebanese cucumber, grated
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- small bunch dill, roughly chopped plus extra for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F (fan forced). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the zucchini rounds to the tray and drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Spread out into an even layer and place into the oven to roast for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the rice to a large saucepan and top with water. Swirl the rice around with your hands to rinse it. Strain the rice through a fine mesh sieve and return to the pan. Repeat this step another two times to clean the rice. After returning the rice to the pan for a third time, top with 2 ½ cups water. Add the ground turmeric, the cumin seeds and a few pinches of salt to the pan and bring to a boil. Boil until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Reduce the heat the low and place the lid on. Once the liquid has stopped bubbling up through the rice, turn off the heat and set aside to steam with the lid on.
- While the rice cooks, make the marinade by adding the harissa, honey, lemon juice and olive oil to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the salmon fillets and coat them in the marinade.
- Remove the tray of zucchini from the oven and push all of the zucchini up to one end of the tray, leaving enough room for the salmon fillets. Place the salmon fillets onto the tray. Return to the oven to cook for 7 – 10 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking.
- While the salmon is cooking, make the tzatziki. Add the yoghurt to a medium bowl. Place the grated cucumber into a cheese cloth or nut milk bag. Squeeze out the excess liquid over the sink and then add the cucumber to the yoghurt along with the lemon juice, minced garlic, dill and a pinch of sea salt flakes. Whisk to combine, taste and season with more salt if desired.
- To serve, divide the rice between four bowls. Top with rocket, roasted zucchini, tomatoes, a fillet of salmon, a dollop of tzatziki, pickled red onions, extra fresh dill and a sprinkle of chilli flakes or crispy chilli oil (if using). Serve warm.
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