This pesto salmon recipe is easy and works any night of the week since it comes together in one hour. It’s a complete one-pan dinner with simple pesto for flavor and brightness, sweet & savory cherry tomatoes, asparagus and baby potatoes.
If you love this pesto salmon, you will also love this brown butter salmon with capers and sundried tomatoes, Greek codfish cakes or shrimp orzo in a lemon garlic sauce!
Why this recipe sings
- Flavor. The combination of ingredients delivers maximum flavor
- It is easy. It does not require much work and can be a weeknight dinner.
- It is customizable. You can swap vegetables according to your pantry and liking. Add broccoli florets instead of asparagus, or omit the tomatoes if you run out.
- It works with other types of fish. Use Chilean sea bass for an elevated meal or cod, turbot, or halibut. Just tweak the cooking time.
Here is what you need
- Fresh salmon fillet. This recipe works with individual salmon fillets. You will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pesto sauce. I make a pesto sauce almost weekly and use the leftovers for this salmon recipe. You can use any store-bought brand you find. Vegan pesto works great, as well as the regular with parmesan.
- Cherry tomatoes. Campari variety would also be great, as well as grape tomatoes.
- Baby gold potatoes. I never peel the skin. Instead, I scrub the skin clean and cube them to a small size. Alternatively, you can use regular-size Yukon gold. In case all you have is thick-skinned potatoes like Idaho, by all means, peel the skin before dicing.
- Asparagus. One of my favorite vegetables especially roasted. I wash and peel the lower part, then cut into two or three pieces depending on the size. The asparagus goes in at the second part of the recipe and gets beautifully roasted.
- Onion. Just a small onion is enough. Substitute with shallots or thinly sliced leeks.
- Sea salt and chili flakes. I use chili flakes in almost all my recipes. Substitute with freshly ground black pepper.
Please note: This versatile recipe is easy to tweak to adjust your pantry supplies and budget. You can add whole garlic cloves still in their skin (they get sweet and savory with roasting) instead of onion, switch the fish to a different kind, or go for cauliflower florets instead of asparagus.
How to make this pesto salmon
Prepare the salmon. Season with sea salt and set aside.
Prepare the veggies. Halve the cherry tomatoes, peel the asparagus and cut in one-inch-long pieces. Quarter the baby potatoes. and roughly chop the onion.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 425°F. In a medium oven proof pan add the cherry tomatoes, cubed potatoes and onion. Drizzle half of the olive oil and season with sea salt. Take half of the pesto and mix it with the veggies.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Season the aparragus with sea salt.
Remove the pan from the oven. Carefully create a space in the middle with the help of a large spatula or spoon. Place the salmon in the middle and surround the piece with the veggies. Spread the rest of the pesto all over the salmon. Arrange the asparagus pieces all oven. Drizzle with the rest of the olive oil. Return pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
This pesto salmon is ready to serve. It is a complete meal yet you can still pair it with fresh warm olive oil bread, a green salad or Greek sweet peas with dill. Enjoy!
Check out my Greek pantry staples
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Pesto Salmon Recipe
Equipment
- 1 oven-proof pan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh salmon fillet
- 1 onion small
- ½ cup pesto
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 cups baby potatoes cubed
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz asparagus spears
- sea salt
- chili flakes
Instructions
- Prepare the salmon. Season with sea salt and set aside.
- Prepare the veggies. Halve the cherry tomatoes, peel the asparagus and cut them into one-inch-long pieces. Quarter the baby potatoes and roughly chop the onion.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 425°F. In a medium oven-proof pan, add the cherry tomatoes, cubed potatoes, and onion—drizzle half of the olive oil and season with sea salt. Take half of the pesto and mix it with the veggies.
- Season the asparagus with sea salt.Remove the pan from the oven. Carefully create a space in the middle with the help of a large spatula or spoon. Place the salmon in the middle and surround the piece with the veggies. Spread the rest of the pesto all over the salmon. Arrange the asparagus pieces all over. Drizzle with the rest of the olive oil—return the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- This pesto salmon is ready to serve.
Notes
- This pesto salmon is a complete meal, yet you can still pair it with roasted cauliflower steaks, a slice of ladenia-the greek pizza, or fava dip made from yellow split peas.
- This recipe is easy to tweak. You can add whole garlic cloves still in their skin (they get sweet and savory with roasting) instead of onion, switch the fish to a different kind, or go for cauliflower florets instead of asparagus. Green beans, broccoli florets, leaks, or even Brussels sprouts can be great substitutes.
Nutrition
