The key to really good sheet pan dinners is all about layering and building. When it comes to technique, that means resisting the urge to just pile everything onto a pan and shove it in the oven for the same amount of time. Start with the heartier ingredients, roasting them on the bottom rack of the oven to create deeply caramelized goodness. Then, add in your more delicate ingredients, like salmon, and utilize the center rack of the oven for more evenly circulated heat. And, when it comes to flavor, try to hit different notes—spicy, sweet, umami, tangy!—as well as creating a variety of textures to keep things interesting.

All of these principles come together in this salmon sheet pan dinner, flavored with Nadir Nahdi's Hawaij Masala—a savory, warming blend of cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, and a touch of nutmeg—brown butter, and lime. First, sweet potatoes are seasoned with smoky Sirārakhong Hāthei chilli powder and popped in the oven to get a head start. Then, the salmon is nestled in and baked until rosy, medium perfection. It's all served with a cooling, crisp topping of cucumbers, serrano peppers, and cilantro, simply dressed with olive oil and lime. And, the best part? It comes together in about 30 minutes!

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Ingredients

2 medium-to-large sweet potatoes (about 1 to 1¼ pounds), cut into ½-inch rounds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Sirārakhong Hāthei Chilli powder
3½ teaspoons Surya Salt
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1⅓ pounds center-cut, skinless salmon fillets (about 3 to 4 fillets)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Zest of 2 limes
3 tablespoons lime juice
1½ teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons Hawaij Masala
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems
1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Methods

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the sweet potato rounds on a rimmed sheet pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with Sirārakhong Hāthei Chilli powder and 1 teaspoon salt, and toss to coat. Spread the dressed sweet potatoes in a single layer. Roast on the bottom rack of the oven until the bottoms are deeply caramelized and the potatoes are almost cooked through (a paring knife should slide into them with a little give), 14 to 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the cucumbers in a bowl, toss with ½ teaspoon salt and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
Also, while the sweet potatoes are roasting, prep the salmon and brown butter-hawaij topping. First, season the salmon with 1½ teaspoons salt and set aside. Then, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring often, until it foams and then browns, 2 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the Hawaij Masala, stirring constantly, until the spice bloom and smell nutty and toasty, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn off the heat and the zest of 1 lime, 2 tablespoons lime juice (this is about the juice of 1 lime), maple syrup, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and stir to combine (don’t worry if it’s separated).
When the potatoes are almost done, remove the pan from the oven. Flip the potatoes, making space for the salmon fillets. Place the salted salmon fillets in the open spaces, then spoon the brown butter-hawaij mixture over the fillets, dividing evenly amongst the pieces. Return the pan to the center rack of the oven and bake until the salmon reaches your desired doneness, 8 to 10 minutes for medium and 10 to 13 minutes for medium-well (time will vary depending on the size of the fillets).
While the salmon is baking, finish the cucumber salad. Wrap the cucumbers in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible (there will be a lot!), discarding the liquid or saving it for a cocktail or cheeky mocktail, then wipe out the bowl they were salting in and return them to that bowl. Add the cilantro, serrano pepper, zest of the remaining 1 lime, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt, and gently toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt or lime juice, if necessary.
To finish, sprinkle the salmon fillets with a little flaky sea salt. Serve directly off the sheet pan with the cucumber salad for topping.

Asha's Hawaij-Lime Salmon & Sweet Potatoes

Asha Loupy

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 medium-to-large sweet potatoes (about 1 to 1¼ pounds), cut into ½-inch rounds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Sirārakhong Hāthei Chilli powder
3½ teaspoons Surya Salt
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1⅓ pounds center-cut, skinless salmon fillets (about 3 to 4 fillets)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Zest of 2 limes
3 tablespoons lime juice
1½ teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons Hawaij Masala
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems
1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Methods

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the sweet potato rounds on a rimmed sheet pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with Sirārakhong Hāthei Chilli powder and 1 teaspoon salt, and toss to coat. Spread the dressed sweet potatoes in a single layer. Roast on the bottom rack of the oven until the bottoms are deeply caramelized and the potatoes are almost cooked through (a paring knife should slide into them with a little give), 14 to 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the cucumbers in a bowl, toss with ½ teaspoon salt and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
Also, while the sweet potatoes are roasting, prep the salmon and brown butter-hawaij topping. First, season the salmon with 1½ teaspoons salt and set aside. Then, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring often, until it foams and then browns, 2 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the Hawaij Masala, stirring constantly, until the spice bloom and smell nutty and toasty, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn off the heat and the zest of 1 lime, 2 tablespoons lime juice (this is about the juice of 1 lime), maple syrup, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and stir to combine (don’t worry if it’s separated).
When the potatoes are almost done, remove the pan from the oven. Flip the potatoes, making space for the salmon fillets. Place the salted salmon fillets in the open spaces, then spoon the brown butter-hawaij mixture over the fillets, dividing evenly amongst the pieces. Return the pan to the center rack of the oven and bake until the salmon reaches your desired doneness, 8 to 10 minutes for medium and 10 to 13 minutes for medium-well (time will vary depending on the size of the fillets).
While the salmon is baking, finish the cucumber salad. Wrap the cucumbers in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible (there will be a lot!), discarding the liquid or saving it for a cocktail or cheeky mocktail, then wipe out the bowl they were salting in and return them to that bowl. Add the cilantro, serrano pepper, zest of the remaining 1 lime, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt, and gently toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt or lime juice, if necessary.
To finish, sprinkle the salmon fillets with a little flaky sea salt. Serve directly off the sheet pan with the cucumber salad for topping.