Easy Pesto Salmon

Bright green basil pesto goes well with baked fish, of course! This Pesto Salmon is an easy weeknight meal that’s sure to delight guests, too.

Ready for the perfect hot sauce to bring baked salmon to life? try that Pesto Salmon! Bright green pesto goes hand-in-hand with tenderly baked fish to make a stunning dinner. Because honestly: what isn’t better with a little pesto on top? It’s midsummer here and we make all the pesto with our overactive basil plant. The savory garlic sauce brings out the best in the flaky fish: you’ll have your second bite before you’ve even finished your first. It’s simple enough for a weeknight, but impressive enough to serve to guests. This one passed very good with us. Here’s what you need to know!

Use homemade pesto if you can…but store-bought works

This Pesto Salmon goes best with… you guessed it, homemade pesto! Well, we know you don’t always have access to plenty of fresh basil. But the taste of freshly made basil pesto is so good, you’ll want to make it if you can. Here are a few things you should know:

• Prepare half a recipe of our basil pesto. This way you don’t need as much basil: just 1 cup of basil leaves.
• You can use cashews or walnuts. Traditional pesto is made from pine nuts, but they can be expensive or hard to find. It works with other nuts too! Our favorite is the cashew pesto, or try this walnut pesto.
• Or find the purchased brand with the best quality. Here’s the thing about store-bought pesto: quality varies widely. Some pestos taste flat and bland, others are too salty. So experiment until you find one you like! Using homemade pesto makes this an easy 3 ingredient recipe.

Tip for baked pesto salmon: salt beforehand!

Here’s a little trick we’ve used with great success. Salt your salmon before cooking! What is salting? Salting involves soaking the salmon in a brine solution before cooking. This results in perfectly moist salmon and helps the salmon come back to room temperature, allowing it to cook more evenly. It also reduces white matter (see below). Even better: It doesn’t cost any extra time! You can do this while the oven is preheating. How to salt salmon:

• Prepare a saline solution. In a large bowl, mix 4 cups of water with 3 tablespoons of salt to create a brine solution.
• Put the fish in the water for 15 minutes. You can do it in time to preheat your oven: no time wasted!

What’s the White on Cooked Salmon?

What is that sticky white substance that sometimes appears on the surface of fish after cooking? Good news: this is completely normal! The white matter is called a coagulated protein that leaches to the surface when cooked albumin. The amount of albumin varies greatly between fish, so it’s not something you can control. (Read more here.) It’s safe to eat, but it looks less than appetizing on a nice fillet. Here are some ways to reduce albumin when cooking salmon:

• Cook it at a lower temperature to cook it more gently (325 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Before cooking, salt the salmon in a solution of salt and water

How to garnish salmon with pesto

The presentation is the fun part, right? This salmon with pesto simply tastes delicious on the plate. What you need to know about the presentation:

• Add the pesto after confectionery. So it stays nice and moist and light green.
• Add chopped and toasted pine nuts as a garnish. These look delicious and have a unique taste. Don’t forget to toast the pine nuts before using them: this will accentuate the flavor so you’ll feel the difference.
• Lemon zest adds brightness. The zest helps lighten the flavors; You already have a lemon on hand when making homemade pesto. Using store-bought pesto can be a great way to spice up the flavors.

Buy sustainable salmon

Would you like to buy fish that is as sustainable as possible? Here are some tips when looking at salmon at the grocery store:

• If possible, look for wild fish. Wild caught fish is more sustainable than farmed fish.
• Find the conquered United States (if you are in the United States). 90% of the seafood we eat in the United States is imported. Imported seafood is at risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor conditions, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways.

Side dishes to serve with salmon pesto

This salmon with pesto is an easy and healthy dinner recipe: perfect for weeknights and when you have guests! How do you make a meal out of this? Since you’ll be keeping the oven busy for the salmon, here are some non-oven side dish ideas:

• Simple Salads: Easy Arugula Salad, Classic Spinach Salad, Tomato Basil Salad
• More Refined Salads: Orange salad with fennel, simple citrus salad, broccolini salad
• Fried vegetables: Sauteed zucchini, sautéed cabbage, sautéed rainbow chard, sautéed prime mushrooms, sautéed kale, sautéed peppers, or sautéed peppers and onions
• Legumes or Grains: Easy Cannellini Beans, Easy Navy Beans, Pesto Quinoa, Mushroom Farro, Easy Farro

This pesto recipe is…

Gluten free and pescetarian. For a dairy-free product, use vegan pesto.

More recipes with pesto

Do you have a lot of basil? Let’s make everything pesto! Here are some of our favorite dishes with this bright green sauce:

• Pesto Spaghetti or Pesto Cavatappi The trick to evenly coating the creamiest pesto pasta in a silky sauce! Make it with homemade or store-bought basil pesto for a quick dinner.
• Shrimp Pesto Pasta An incredibly quick and easy dinner recipe! Top the pesto pasta with shimmering green basil for a meal everyone will love.
• Creamy Pesto Sauce This 5 Minute Creamy Pesto Sauce is awesome – just simmer the pesto and cream until a thick sauce forms!
• Easy Pesto Shrimp A dinner win! Salted basil pesto is a natural pairing with succulent shrimp; Serve it with pasta or rice for an easy dinner idea.
• Pesto Aioli Packed with amazing basil and parmesan flavors! Use it to dip fries or spread on a burger or sandwich.