Even though I’m a food blogger, when it comes to dinner, I fall into a rut just like everyone else, making the same things every week. For years the only salmon recipe I made was salmon with a chipotle honey lime glaze. It was delicious but it was time to change things up.

A pangrattato is the process of making toasted breadcrumbs, using stale bread, olive oil and some seasonings, usually salt and garlic. It’s known as the poor man’s parmesan and is quite popular in in southern Italy where they use it as a topping for pasta. My version adds some pistachios, lemon zest and dill and I use it to top salmon before baking.

Watch it all come together.

I used a mix of mayonnaise and harissa paste as the “glue” to make sure the breadcrumb topping really sticks to the fish. I love the signature harissa paste from NY Shuk. It has the perfect hit of heat.

Since the salmon is baked in the oven, I decided to make this salmon recipe a sheet pan dinner. I added broccoli and cherry tomatoes. Peel the woody broccoli stems and then cut the broccoli from crown to stem, to make planks. The flat surface of the planks, gives you more surface area that comes into contact with the pan, allowing the broccoli to crisp up better.

The balance of different textures of this dish really enhances the eating experience. The rich buttery flavour and tender texture of the salmon contrasts so perfectly with the crunchy pistachio breadcrumb topping. The harissa paste adds a welcome hit of heat and acid. Add this to your dinner rotation. You’ll thank me.

Click here to print recipe for Harissa Salmon with Pistachio Pangrattato Crumb.