Cascadia Table

Here is a great weeknight dinner that came together by chance but will now be in my regular rotation.

I had some lovely salmon in the fridge, bell peppers and an onion, and I wanted something fresh and bright but still warming. What came together was a sheet pan of spice-rubbed salmon with fajita veg, topped with a fresh pico and a fan of avocado, served over brown rice with sautéed spinach. It was the perfect balance of delicious, fresh and yet still so comforting.

When I was ten years old, I bought my father an international flavors cookbook. He had just had surgery, knee surgery, nothing serious,  but I was a worried kid and I wanted him to eat healthier. He and I cooked together often, and we both loved that cookbook. I read it over and over, studied the pictures, and we worked our way through a lot of its recipes over the years.

Our favorite was a fajita recipe built on a marinade of orange juice, soy sauce, and fresh cilantro, with cumin and chili powder for warmth.

I don’t know what happened to that book. I don’t remember the exact ratios of the original recipe. But I have come back to this combination, orange juice, cilantro, soy sauce, cumin, chili powder, over and over again for fajitas. It is such a beautiful balance of flavor. Sweet from the juice, salty-savory from the soy, warm from the spices, bright from the cilantro. It works on chicken, on steak, on shrimp, and as it turns out, beautifully on salmon.

A little fajita history for you: the word is Spanish for “little belt” or “little strip,” and it originally meant the skirt steak that Rio Grande Valley ranch hands grilled up in the 1930s (they were often paid in that cut because it was considered scrap). A sheet pan of salmon is a very liberal interpretation, but I think they’d approve.

For this sheet pan version, I started with a dry rub: paprika, chili powder, cumin, coriander, a touch of brown sugar, salt and pepper. Then I added olive oil, orange juice, and soy sauce, that old familiar combination, and scattered a big handful of fresh cilantro and some fresh thyme leaves over the top. Into the fridge it went while I prepped everything else.

The orange juice does something magical on the salmon. It balances the heat and the salt and caramelizes just slightly in the hot oven. The soy sauce brings depth. The fresh herbs are such a vibrant element.

While the salmon marinated, I sliced red and yellow bell peppers and a yellow onion and tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Those went into a 425°F oven for about ten minutes to get started. Then the salmon joined them for another ten to twelve minutes until the fish was just cooked through.

Meanwhile, a quick pico: diced roma tomatoes, finely diced onion, minced garlic, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper. I served this over some brown rice and alongside some sautéed some spinach, and sliced a ripe avocado.

This was so good! It’s fresh. It’s vibrant. It’s comforting. It’s that rare weeknight dinner that tastes like more work than it is, and felt like a little celebration.

The orange juice and brown sugar caramelize into a sticky, smoky glaze on the salmon. The peppers get their edges a little char. The pico is cold and crunchy against the warm fish. The avocado mellows everything. The spinach keeps it from feeling heavy. And the brown rice underneath soaks up every drop of pan juice. No surprise it was a big hit with my kids, especially this very hungry teenager who had just played roller derby for 2 hours.

Sheet Pan Salmon Fajita Bowls

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 4

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Salmon + Marinade

• 1 – 1.5 lb salmon cut into 4 portions
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp orange juice fresh if possible
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari for GF
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves from 3-4 sprigs

Fajita Veggies

• 1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper sliced into strips
• 1 yellow onion sliced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Pico

• 2-3 roma tomatoes diced
• 1/2 small yellow onion finely diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
• Salt and pepper

For Serving

• Cooked brown rice start first — takes ~45 min
• 4-5 cups baby spinach sautéed in olive oil with salt
• 1 ripe avocado sliced

Method

 

1. Start the rice first — brown rice takes around 45 minutes.
2. Marinate the salmon: Whisk paprika, chili powder, cumin, coriander, brown sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil, orange juice, and soy sauce in a glass dish. Add salmon and turn to coat. Scatter chopped cilantro and fresh thyme leaves on top. Fridge 30 min (up to 2 hours).
3. Preheat oven to 425°F.
4. Roast the veg: Toss peppers and onion with olive oil, salt, and pepper on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Single layer. Roast 10-12 min until softened with some color.
5. Make the pico: While veg roasts, dice tomatoes, onion, garlic. Combine with cilantro, salt, and pepper. Set aside to let flavors meld.
6. Add the salmon: Push veg to one side (or use a second sheet pan if crowded). Place salmon on the pan, spooning some marinade over top. Roast 10-12 min until salmon flakes and internal temp hits 125-130°F for medium.
7. Sauté the spinach: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium. Wilt spinach in batches. Season with salt.
8. Slice the avocado.
9. Build the bowls: Brown rice bottom → fajita peppers and onions → salmon on top → pile of sautéed spinach → fan of avocado → generous spoonful of pico. Eat immediately.

Notes

• Salmon quality matters — a nice piece of wild salmon makes this shine. Buy local if you can.
• Don’t overcook the fish — pull at 125-130°F internal for medium; carryover takes it to ~135°F off the pan.
• The orange juice is not optional — balances heat and salt, caramelizes slightly on the salmon. Soy sauce adds depth.
• Sheet pan crowding — two pans if needed. Crowding steams instead of roasts.
• No lime in the pico — orange juice in the marinade brings enough brightness. Add lime if you want more.
• Make it ahead — marinate salmon in the morning; pre-slice veg. Pico is best fresh.
• Kid-friendly — serve deconstructed if your kids are like one of mine and prefer their food not to touch.