Salmon is honestly my favorite fish out there. It is also one of those dishes that is thought of as either too fancy or too difficult to cook from home. This recipe and the numerous other salmon recipes I have lurking up my sleeves will hopefully shatter those salmon myths for you. Not only is salmon an affordable option for my fellow broke Uni students out there, but it is also super easy to cook (in my opinion).
The abundance of home-gardens around my neighborhood this year inspired this salmon dish. I wanted to develop something that used my favorite fish, combined the simplest method for preparing it, and brought in the colorful summer veg and summer flavors that I adore. The result was this zesty pesto and pecan-crusted salmon, and I couldn’t be prouder of how it all came together.
Pecan and Basil Crusted Baked Salmon
with Italian Roasted Asparagus and Grape Tomatoes
Difficulty:
Ingredients
For the Pecan Crusted Pesto Salmon
1/3 cup crushed pecans
2-3 tbs basil pesto (store-bought or home-made)
1 tbs lemon or ½ of a lemon juiced
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Shredded mozzarella to sprinkle on top
1 cup cooked jasmine rice (optional)
For the Italian, Lemon Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes
1 lb asparagus (Stems chopped down)
1 10 oz package of cherry/grape tomatoes
1 tbs olive oil (drizzled over vegetables)
2 tbs lemon juice or ½ of a fresh lemon juiced
1/3 cup mozzarella, parmesan, or Italian blend cheese
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to season
Method
For the Pecan Crusted Pesto Salmon
1* Preheat your oven to 450° F and prepare a small baking dish by placing a piece of aluminum large enough to cover your salmon in. Set this aside.
2* Rinse your salmon under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Place your salmon fillet skin side down onto the aluminum foil inside of your prepared baking dish.
3* Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a medium skillet. Add your crushed pecans to this skillet and toast for at least 5 minutes. Set aside.
4* Sprinkle your salmon fillets with Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper.
5* drizzle the lemon juice over your salmon and then spoon the pesto on top spreading evenly on top of the salmon.
6* Spread the toasted pecans on top of the pesto and finally sprinkle the fillet with mozzarella cheese.
7* Bake your salmon for 16-20 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your fish) or until it flakes off when a fork is lightly dragged across the top.
For the Italian, Lemon Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes
(Prepare before placing your salmon in the oven and roast them in the oven alongside the salmon during the last 12 minutes).
1* Preheat your oven to 450° F.
2* Chop the hard ends off of the asparagus and wash thoroughly.
3* Spread your asparagus flat on a baking sheet, making sure that there is no overlapping to ensure an even roast.
4* Spread your tomatoes on top of the asparagus.
5* Drizzle your vegetables with olive oil, making sure to coat each asparagus stem.
6* Drizzle lemon juice over your vegetables and season with Italian seasoning, dried parsley and salt, and pepper.
7* Sprinkle your mozzarella cheese evenly on top of the vegetables.
8* Bake for 12-14 minutes or until tender and evenly roasted.
Et Voila
A Few Lil’ Notes:
Be sure to wash the asparagus before preparing them. I know it may seem like a trivial step, but it is an important one I promise. My mom forgot to wash asparagus from our local grocery store once and we later found out that there were specs of sand hidden in our vegetables that night. It added a gave us a fun little anecdote on asparagus, but it was honestly not worth it!
The flavors in this recipe would also work great with a white fish, such as cod or halibut. Pesto, lemon, and fish seem to always work in my experience so feel free to experiment!
I like to serve my salmon on a bed of jasmine rice, but this is optional! It would also work great on a bed of spinach or spring mix.
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