Lemon Pesto Salmon is a bright and herby dish that is easy to make and simply baked.
I don’t really have a love for salmon. Honestly, I avoid it more often than not. But I came across the idea of lemon pesto salmon and thought that it would be a good experiment. Pesto is one of my favorite flavors. The herb richness and nutty undertone make it irresistible. And I love lemon so adding those two together felt perfect.
I was curious to see how the lemon pesto would combine with the salmon and come together as a cohesive dish. The aesthetic of the dish was not widely appealing to me as pesto sitting on top of salmon felt a little… lazy. But, at the same time, how else are the two parts going to go together? Stuffing it an option but I don’t know how to do that.
Making the dish was very easy and made me very hungry while I was cooking. This Lemon Pesto Salmon is the perfect starring dish to any meal being light and full of flavor.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
I decided to go with a more complex pesto recipe than others I have seen (some have only 3 ingredients!) Sometimes, simple is the way to go to really bring out the flavor in those few ingredients. Other times, I like to add more and give the recipe more depth of flavor. This has to be done carefully though, as it can muddle the flavor if you’re not careful.
Process
The Lemon Pesto
There are two parts to making Lemon Pesto Salmon: the pesto and the salmon. Yea… I guess that was a little obvious. Anyway, I started by making the pesto. This is not the most time efficient method, making the pesto while the salmon was cooking would have technically been a better choice. But hindsight is 20/20 and life shouldn’t always be about efficiency.
Making the pesto was both easier and more complex than I anticipated. It was an easy process because all that is needed is to throw the ingredients in a food processor. Blitz everything together takes no time at all. However, getting the consistency right is a challenge all onto itself.
After the core ingredients have been blitzed together, I added in the olive oil. I wanted to get the amount just right to make a smooth, spreadable blend. Too much and the pesto would be too thin, too little and it would be clumpy and thick. What is the just right amount? Well, that’s something to discover.
The other ingredients really control how the olive oil will change the consistency. Which means that every batch can be different. Of course, things like this can never really be easy. I did find a range in which the olive oil will usually get the desired results though!
The Salmon
When cooking the salmon, I decided to keep the spices to a minimum for the pesto to really shine through. This meant just using salt and pepper as seasoning before cooking. I decided to use two different heat components for this recipe: the stove and the oven.
I like starting to sear the salmon on the stove because it makes the one side nice and crispy. And I can’t resist crispy salmon. Then, after searing it for a few minutes, I put the salmon into the oven to finish off the cook. This helps make sure everything is cooked thoroughly and consistently.
Once the Salmon is out of the oven, and adequately cooled (still hot but not too hot), I garnished the top of the salmon with a generous amount of the pesto. This looks… rather odd, I’ll be honest but large amounts is distributed through the Lemon Pesto Salmon while it’s being eaten. This helps get some pesto in every bite.
Reflections
As I said before, I am not the biggest fan of salmon. It’s the most commonly available fish in my area and I think I just ate too much of it at one point in my life. That being said, this Lemon Pesto Salmon was an absolute treat. I really love how the salmon skin crisped up to add some crunch while the herbs of the pesto really added an earthy and bright flavor to the whole dish.
While I wouldn’t have this every day, as an occasionally treat? Absolutely! Especially at a holiday or event where I am trying to make fish the star of the table. While it may not be the most visually appealing, this Lemon Pesto Salmon is irresistibly tasty.
Lessons
What is the white on the fish?
When cooking fish, I will often see some white something coming out of the sides. And I thought, what is that? Well, it is something called albumin which is a protein that solidifies as the fish is cooked. This is harmless and flavorless but does look kind of gross. And it has a kind of weird texture.
The method of cooking can prevent albumin from appearing. It typically shows up when a dish has been cooked a little too long or a little too fast. It’s a good idea to keep your eyes on the fish while it is cooking to make sure that it doesn’t cook too much.
recipe
Lemon Pesto Salmon
Ingredients
- 3 Cup Basil Leaves
- 1 ½ Garlic Cloves
- ¾ Cup roasted almonds
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- ¾ Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
- 1 Lemon zested, juiced and sliced
- ¾ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 to 1 ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Soil
- 6 Salmon Filets
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450° Fahrenheit
- In a food processor, blitz together basil, garlic, almonds, parmesan, pecorino, 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice, 1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest, salt.
- Add the extra-virgin olive oil into the food processor (start with 1 cup) and blend until combine. To get a thinner consistence continue adding more olive oil. Set aside.
- Season Salmon with salt and pepper.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Heat until hot, turn the dial to medium heat. Place salmon into the skillet with the skin-side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove skillet from stove top and place in oven. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
- Slice the remaining lemon. Decorate the top of the salmon with lemon pesto and lemon slices.
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