A baked salmon pesto recipe that is so very easy to make, yet colourful and delicious. The Parmesan makes for a great gluten free crust.
This salmon pesto recipe is so easy to make if you have some pesto to hand. If you don’t it does not take long to make a batch and the smell of fresh basil is just gorgeous. The added bonus is that it helps to cover up the fish smell for me. I’m not a big fan of the smell of fish cooking. However, my cats are and start circling me like hungry sharks when I baked fish. I think that they have secretly taken out a life insurance out on me and work together to try to trip me up in the kitchen.
How to Make Pesto Sauce
The best pesto is fresh pesto. You don't always need to pine nuts to make a great pesto either. This easy pesto recipe has only 5 ingredients and takes just 5 minutes!
If you don’t have the ingredients to make the pesto fresh, you could cheat and use pesto out of the jar. Check the ingredients first though for any hidden sugars or gluten. I confess I’ve done this with the prepared pesto from the deli counter at the supermarket a couple of times. I have had no complaints or demands of a taste test from the Chief Taster. He might have just been swayed by the excitement that I was cooking salmon but he didn’t fill in anything for the complaints box.
Salmon Pesto Recipe
When making this salmon pesto Parmesan crust recipe it is entirely up to you whether you want to bake the salmon with the skin on. I made mine without the skin as the Chief Taster does not like the skin. He is the same with chicken but it makes cooking with fish and chicken easier for me. The less man handling I have of them both, the better!
Serve this baked pesto salmon recipe with a hearty salad or some steamed vegetables for a healthy dinner or quick lunch. The recipe does not take long to prepare and salmon cooks quickly. It’s been great for me to quickly whip up when I’ve been busy with the mini zoo but produce a colourful and tasty lunch.
Baked Salmon Pesto Parmesan Crust
Ingredients
- 2 Fillets Salmon (skin optional)
- ¼ cup (25g) Parmesan grated
Pesto
- 1 ½ cups (36g) Fresh basil
- ¼ cup (54g) olive oil
- ¼ cup (35g) Pine nuts
- ¼ cup (25g) Parmesan grated
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- First make the pesto by combining the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Blend until chopped.
- Add the olive oil and process until the mixture is smooth. Add more oil if need be.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Place the salmon fillets on a parchment paper line baking tray or non-stick baking dish.
- Spread about 2 tablespoons of the pesto on each salmon fillet.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top of the pesto, pressing slightly down to almost form a crust.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the fish is cooked through (thick fillets will need more time).
Notes
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