For a meal that delivers big on flavour with minimal effort, look no further than this Peri Peri Salmon Tray Bake. It combines succulent salmon, crispy baby potatoes, and slightly charred tenderstem broccoli, all seasoned with a simple yet powerful peri peri spice mix. Everything comes together in a single roasting tin, making this dish as convenient as it is delicious. Whether you’re cooking for a busy weeknight or a laid-back weekend dinner, this vibrant and nutritious meal is bound to become a household favourite.
Table of Contents
- Ingredient Breakdown
- The Power of Peri Peri
- The Secret to Crispy, Golden Potatoes
- Tips for Tender, Flaky Salmon
- Customising this Tray Bake
- More Tray Bake Recipes
Ingredient Breakdown
- Smoked paprika: Adds a deep, smoky warmth and vibrant colour to the dish.
- Garlic granules: Infuses the meal with a rich, savoury depth.
- Dried oregano: Enhances the Mediterranean-inspired seasoning with earthy, herby notes.
- Dried parsley: Lends a fresh, slightly grassy brightness to balance the bold spices.
- Cayenne pepper: Provides a gentle heat that complements the smoky flavours.
- Baby potatoes: Their natural sweetness and creamy texture contrast beautifully with the bold peri peri seasoning.
- Olive oil: Helps crisp up the potatoes and adds richness to the salmon and broccoli.
- Salmon fillets: The star of the dish, offering a buttery texture that pairs beautifully with the fiery seasoning.
- Tenderstem broccoli: Brings a fresh, slightly nutty flavour while adding a vibrant pop of green.
The Power of Peri Peri
Peri peri seasoning originated in Portuguese and African cuisine, celebrated for its perfect balance of heat, smokiness and tang. The combination of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper gives this dish its signature warmth without overpowering the other ingredients. Garlic and dried herbs round out the mix, ensuring a well-rounded flavour that clings beautifully to the salmon and potatoes.
Unlike pre-made peri peri sauces, this homemade blend give you full control. It’s not only easy to prepare but also free from preservatives and unnecessary additives. It allows you to control the intensity of the flavours, making it easy to adjust the spice level to your preference. When rubbed into salmon, this blend creates a beautifully seasoned crust that caramelises in the oven, sealing in moisture while adding a bold, slightly smoky taste that makes this tray bake truly stand out.
The Secret to Crispy, Golden Potatoes
Crispy potatoes are a crucial part of this Peri Peri Salmon Tray Bake, adding a satisfying contrast to the tender salmon. The key to getting them just right starts with the cut: quartering baby potatoes creates the ideal balance between crisp edges and fluffy centres. Leaving the skin on not only enhances texture but also retains nutrients and adds a slightly nutty flavour. Tossing them in olive oil ensures they roast evenly, while spreading them out in a single layer prevents steaming, allowing the surfaces to crisp up properly.
Roasting at a high temperature encourages caramelisation, giving them a rich golden-brown colour. For an extra crispy result, toss the potatoes halfway through cooking to expose different sides to the heat. By the time the salmon joins the tray, they should be perfectly tender inside with crisp, well-seasoned edges that complement the bold peri peri flavours beautifully.
Tips for Tender, Flaky Salmon
Cooking salmon to perfection requires attention to detail, but it’s surprisingly easy once you know the key steps. The most common mistake is overcooking, which leads to dry, chalky fish instead of the tender, flaky texture you want.
The first step is bringing the salmon to room temperature before cooking. Cold fish straight from the fridge takes longer to cook and can end up unevenly done. A light coating of olive oil helps lock in moisture, while the peri peri spice mix creates a delicious crust. Roasting at 200°C allows the fish to cook through gently while developing a slightly crisped exterior. Depending on the thickness of the fillet, 10–12 minutes is the sweet spot.
To check for doneness, press gently on the fillet. If it flakes easily, it’s ready. For extra succulence, let the salmon rest for a few minutes before serving. This locks in the juices, ensuring every bite is buttery soft and bursting with flavour.
Customising this Tray Bake
One of the best things about this Peri Peri Salmon Tray Bake is its versatility. While salmon works beautifully with the peri peri spice mix, you can swap it for other proteins to suit your preferences. Chicken thighs or prawns make excellent alternatives. Chicken benefits from the same roasting method, while prawns cook even faster, making them ideal for a speedier version of the dish.
For a vegetarian twist, swap the salmon for halloumi or firm tofu, both of which absorb the smoky peri peri spices beautifully. The vegetables can also be adjusted. Sweet potatoes, bell peppers, or courgettes work wonderfully in place of baby potatoes or broccoli.
If you prefer more heat, increase the cayenne pepper, or add a squeeze of lemon for extra freshness. This dish is endlessly adaptable, making it perfect for tailoring to different diets and taste preferences while keeping the essence of the original recipe intact.
More Tray Bake Recipes
There’s something so satisfying about making a meal in just one tray (not to mention it saves on the washing up!). So if you enjoyed this Peri Peri Salmon Tray Bake, I have some more recipes just like it for you to try:
- Harissa Veggie Tray Bake: Bold flavours and lots of veggies. Loaded with sweet potatoes, chickpeas, peppers, tenderstem broccoli and onions, tossed in rose harissa, lemon zest and garlic.
- Smoky Chicken and Chorizo Tray Bake: This Spanish-inspired tray bake combines the delicious smoky flavours of chorizo with smoked paprika, garlic, chicken, potatoes, peppers and onions.
- Harissa Chicken Tray Bake: Juicy, harissa-spiced chicken, caramelised sweet potatoes, and vibrant peppers. This dish delivers big flavours with minimal effort.
- Puttanesca Tray Bake: Pasta nights deserve excitement, and this Puttanesca Tray Bake delivers just that. Instead of standing over a stove, coaxing out flavours one by one, everything comes together in the oven. The result? A deeply savoury, jammy sauce that clings beautifully to pasta.
See how I make all these recipes and more over on my Instagram!
Peri Peri Salmon Tray Bake
Succulent salmon. Golden brown, crispy potatoes. Slightly charred tenderstem broccoli. Perfectly seasoned with a tasty 5-ingredient homemade peri peri spice mix. If you want something simple, delicious and healthy for dinner then this colourful salmon tray bake is just perfect.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Fish
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 750 g baby potatoes, skin on, quartered
- olive oil
- 4 salmon fillets
- 300 g tenderstem broccoli, halved lengthwise
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 200℃. Combine the peri peri spice mix ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place the baby potatoes in a large roasting tin (at least 38 cm x 26 cm). Drizzle with olive oil, season generously with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper and add half of the peri peri spice mix. Toss to combine, ensuring the potatoes are evenly coated.
- Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in the roasting tin. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, or until tender and beginning to crisp, tossing once halfway through.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle the remaining peri peri spice mix over the salmon fillets. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Toss to combine, ensuring the salmon is evenly coated. Set aside.
- Drizzle the tenderstem broccoli with olive oil and season lightly with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
- Take the roasting tin out of the oven. Push the potatoes to one side and add the salmon fillets and broccoli in a single layer.
- Return the tray to the oven and roast for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets, or until the salmon is just opaque and easily flaked with a fork. Serve and enjoy!
