A quick and easy recipe for baked salmon with homemade pesto. This is a small batch recipe that makes two servings, but can easily be multiplied as needed.
Baked salmon is an incredibly underrated “recipe”. However, I have a trick to make your baked salmon even better: I actually broil my salmon to keep it from overcooking. This method cooks the exterior of the salmon while keeping the interior tender and flavorful, and it’s a secret I learned during catering food prep last year! There’s a few secrets and tips packed into this blog post, so I do recommend reading through it.
This is a small batch recipe that makes two servings of baked pesto salmon, but it can easily be doubled (or tripled) if needed. It takes about 20 minutes to make, including making your own fresh pesto (which I highly recommend!) I have a recipe for the fresh pesto and the baked pesto salmon, so let’s get after it.
Ingredients for Baked Pesto Salmon:
- 2 fresh Salmon Filets (about 4 oz. each)
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- salt
- ¼ – ⅓ cup Basil Pesto (preferably homemade; see recipe below)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 4 Lemon Wedges (optional)
Ingredients for Homemade Pesto:
- 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves (tightly packed)
- 2 tbsp. Toasted Pepitas* (see note below!)
- 1 clove Garlic (smashed)
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the best you can find)
- 1/2 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1/4 cup Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
*NOTE: Traditional pesto uses pine nuts, but I used toasted pepitas for my pesto in these photos. You can use either one! Pine nuts are expensive, and while delicious, they can easily be substituted with another nut for this recipe. I also recommend toasted walnuts or almonds!
I’m quite serious when I say that homemade basil pesto is a delicious way to make this recipe the absolute best it can be. Salmon isn’t exactly cheap, so don’t short yourself on flavor when you prepare it. If you’re short on time or ingredients, jarred pesto from the store will work!
Because this recipe has so few ingredients, the quality of each ingredient matters. We already established the importance of the pesto quality, but the quality of the salmon is equally important. Here’s a quick rundown of the most common varieties of salmon:
Favorite Types of Salmon:
Atlantic Salmon – Nearly all Atlantic salmon is farm raised, with the least flavor when compared to other salmon varieties, but it’s easy to find, affordable, and I personally do love it!
King Salmon – King Salmon is kind of like the best you can buy. It has the highest fat and omega-3 levels, arguably the best flavor and texture, and easily considered the best money can buy.
Sockeye Salmon – Sockeye salmon is wild caught, affordable, and a leaner fish than Coho and King salmon. However, it tends to have the most intense salmon flavor, and a denser texture which makes it feel meatier than other salmon varieties.
Coho Salmon – Coho salmon has a delicate, subtle flavor, but it is still very rich in omega-3 fats. It’s a great option for people who don’t want an overly salmon flavor.
Salmon is a phenomenal ingredient to use if you’re looking to increase your healthy fats intake, and is one of my favorite proteins to use when creating a healthy meal with rich flavors (and not much work!).
The salmon I use most often is Atlantic Salmon. (It’s also the salmon that is used in these pictures.) I find it to be way more affordable than the others, and with grocery prices consistently increasing, affordable is usually my go-to choice. Atlantic salmon may not have as much flavor as the others, but that’s fine with me! I think the Atlantic salmon is a great companion to sauces, such as this pesto, and it’s very easy to find at the store!
How to Make Baked Pesto Salmon
As I mentioned earlier, we are going to bake (broil) the salmon until it’s about halfway cooked, then top it with fresh pesto and parmesan cheese before cooking it to your preferred temperature. I love to throw a couple of lemon wedges on the size to roast them before squeezing over the pesto salmon, too!
- For the Small Batch Basil Pesto: If you’re making your own pesto, do that before anything else. Add basil, toasted pepitas, garlic, and a pinch of salt to a mini food processor (like this one). Pulse until coarsely chopped, about a minute. With the food processor running on low, slowly drizzle olive oil until totally combined. Add lemon juice and Parmesan cheese, and pulse until just combined.
- For the Baked Pesto Salmon: Remove the salmon filets from the packaging and pat them completely dry. Place them directly onto a small rimmed baking sheet (like these – I use them for a ton of small batch recipes) or into a small baking dish. Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Let the salmon rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
- Set turn the oven to low broil. Once the broiler is hot, place the baking sheet of salmon on the top rack and broil for 3-4 minutes until the exterior of the salmon is opaque.
- Remove the salmon from the oven and top with 2-3 tablespoons of pesto, then grate parmesan cheese over the pesto.
- Set the oven broiler to high. Broil the salmon for a minute or two until the cheese starts to bubble and turn brown.
Broiling salmon is a great way to create tender flaky salmon for any easy weeknight meal! I prepare my salmon this way more often than not, and usually just top it with a little salt and a healthy glug of olive oil. As I mentioned before, I actually learned this method through the caterings I assisted with this past year; the woman that I worked with has a very “veggie forward” philosophy for cooking, and salmon is one of the few proteins she uses in her recipes.
Before each catering gig, I’ll spend about an hour cutting fresh salmon into perfectly portioned little pieces, transferring them to a baking sheet, and sprinkling them with salt and pouring olive oil on top. That’s literally it. People RAVE about the salmon we make, and I absolutely love that it’s so incredibly simple!
So, I use that method for this recipe, but transformed my version into a basil pesto salmon recipe. There’s still salt and olive oil, but there’s a handful of ingredients in the pesto that really make this salmon shine. This is a relatively healthy dinner recipe with SO much flavor. It’s also perfect for easy weeknight dinners, and comes together in just about 15 minutes. Stress-free dinner ideas are my best friend on busy weeknights, and this delicious baked salmon is such a winner in every category.
Best Sides to Serve with Pesto Salmon
- Small Batch Creamy Chopped Brussels Sprouts
- Small Batch Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan
- Green Beans
- Brown Rice / Whole Grains
- On top of your favorite salad!
Other Salmon Recipes to Try
- Creamy Lemon and Pea Risotto with Salmon
- Mediterranean Salmon Bowls with Wild Rice
- Miso Teriyaki Glazed Salmon & Rice Bowls with Avocado
- spicy salmon tacos : a small batch recipe.
- saffron risotto + coho salmon
If you make this baked pesto salmon recipe and love it, I would love it if you left a rating and comment below! If you have questions about any of the ingredients or the process, feel free to shoot me an email so I can get back to you ASAP. Tag me on Instagram if you post it, too!
xx Sara
Baked Pesto Salmon
Ingredients
For Baked Pesto Salmon:
- 2 4 oz. Salmon Filets
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil good quality
- pinch Salt
- 1/3 cup Basil Pesto recipe follows
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Lemon Wedges optional
For Small Batch Basil Pesto:
- 1 cup fresh Basil Leaves
- 2 tbsp. Toasted Pepitas*
- 1 clove Garlic smashed
- pinch Salt
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil best quality
- 1/2 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
For the Baked Pesto Salmon:
- Remove the salmon filets from the packaging and pat them completely dry. Place them directly onto a small rimmed baking sheet or into a small baking dish.
- Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Tuck lemon wedges next to the salmon (if using). Let the salmon rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes. (Make the pesto during this time if using the homemade pesto recipe.)
- Set your oven broiler to low. Once the broiler is hot, place the salmon directly beneath the broiler and broil for 3-4 minutes until the salmon is opaque.
- Remove the salmon from the oven and top with 2-3 tablespoons of basil pesto. Cover the pesto with grated parmesan cheese.
- Set the broiler to "high". Broil the salmon for 1-2 minutes until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Carefully transfer the salmon to a plate and serve hot!
For the Small Batch Basil Pesto:
- Add basil, toasted pepitas, garlic, and a pinch of salt to a mini food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped, about a minute.
- With the food processor running on low, slowly drizzle olive oil until totally combined. Add lemon juice and Parmesan cheese, and pulse until just combined.
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
what is the pasta pictured with the salmon?
That’s actually just leftover linguine I had from a restaurant photoshoot! They were tossed with a garlicky butter sauce, a little fresh parsley, and a little crushed red pepper!
sounds delicious, excited to try this recipe, thank you!
Absolutely!! I hope you love it! 😍