Sheet-Pan Salmon with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, and Herbs

General Fast With Fish Published August 02, 2026

One pan, thirty minutes, and nothing to wash but the pan. The chickpeas and tomatoes go in first and roast until the chickpeas crisp at the edges and the tomatoes burst into a rough sauce; the salmon joins them for the last ten minutes and cooks in that steam.

Salmon is forgiving in a hot oven but not infinitely so — pull it at the point where the center is still slightly translucent. It carries on cooking off the heat, and salmon taken to fully opaque in the oven arrives at the table dry.

With a bright herb sauce spooned over at the end, this is the fish-day meal that looks like an occasion and takes the effort of a weeknight.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Fish
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the pan:
- 4 salmon fillets, about 170g each, skin on or off
- 2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted very dry
- 500g cherry tomatoes
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds

For the herb sauce:
- 1 cup (30g) parsley
- 1/2 cup (15g) dill
- 1/2 cup (15g) mint
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

2. Toss the dried chickpeas, tomatoes, and onion wedges with 3 tablespoons of the oil, the cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Spread on a large sheet pan.

3. Roast 18-20 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and the chickpeas are beginning to crisp.

4. Meanwhile, pat the salmon dry, rub with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.

5. Make the herb sauce: pulse everything in a food processor until coarse and green but not puréed. It should be spoonable, with texture. Taste for salt and acid.

6. Pull the pan from the oven, push the chickpeas and tomatoes to the sides, and nestle the salmon fillets into the center. Lay the lemon rounds over the fish.

7. Return to the oven for 9-12 minutes, depending on thickness. The salmon is ready when it flakes at the thick end under gentle pressure but the very center still looks slightly darker and translucent.

8. Rest 3 minutes on the pan. Spoon the herb sauce generously over the fish and the chickpeas, and bring the whole pan to the table.

NOTES

- Any firm fish works: trout, arctic char, or thick cod fillets. Reduce the time for thinner fillets.
- Drying the chickpeas properly is what makes them crisp rather than steam. Take the extra minute.
- The herb sauce keeps a week and is good on everything — beans, potatoes, bread, roasted vegetables on non-fish days.
- Add cubed potatoes to the pan at the start for a heartier meal; give them a 10-minute head start.