Healthy Baked Salmon with Fresh Herb Green Sauce

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil, packed
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin-on or off
1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove immediately to cool.
In a food processor, pulse the toasted pine nuts, basil, garlic, and Parmesan until coarsely chopped.
With the processor running, slowly stream in the ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil until the sauce is mostly smooth.
Stir in the lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.
Pat salmon fillets completely dry with a paper towel. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Drizzle the fillets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.
Spoon the pesto evenly over the top of each salmon fillet, spreading it into a thick layer.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 130-135°F.
Let the salmon rest for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet before serving.

Notes

For the best flavor, use a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano and grate it yourself. The pre-shredded kind often contains anti-caking agents that can create a gritty texture in the pesto.

Keyword Baked Salmon, healthy salmon recipe, Pesto Baked Salmon, seafood