Greek salmon recipes don’t get better than this. Tender salmon fillets are nestled in a pan with cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes, and asparagus, then blanketed with a generous layer of bright, herby pesto — and it all comes together in one pan, start to finish.

This is a dish I pull together on a weeknight in Athens: simple ingredients, cooked together so everything absorbs each other’s flavors. The pesto is a Greek foodie twist — basil and olive oil are deeply at home in Greek cooking, and here they form a beautiful crust over the salmon, keeping it incredibly moist as it roasts.

Whether you call it Greek-style salmon, pesto salmon, or just Tuesday dinner, this one is a keeper.

If you love this Greek Salmon Recipe, you will also love this Salmon with Brown Butter, Capers, and Sundried Tomatoes, Greek Codfish Cakes, or Garlicky Shrimp Orzo!

Greek salmon recipe with pesto, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus in a skillet

Overview

Why you will love this Greek salmon recipe

One pan, zero stress. Everything roasts together — the salmon, the vegetables, the sauce. Less cleanup, more flavor.
Big Greek flavors, weeknight ease. Olive oil, lemon, garlic, and pesto are a love letter to the Mediterranean pantry. Ready in one hour.
The pesto does double duty. Half of it roasts with the vegetables first, building a deep, savory base. The rest goes on the salmon, creating a gorgeous herby crust.
Completely adaptable. No asparagus? Use broccolini or green beans. Want a richer Greek salmon marinade? Add a spoonful of Greek yogurt to the pesto before spreading it on. Swap in a large single fillet if that’s what you have.
Naturally gluten-free and high in protein. 43g of protein per serving with all those good Mediterranean fats from olive oil and salmon.

Here is what you need

Ingredients to make pesto salmon on a wooden table.

Fresh salmon fillets. This recipe will also work with one large salmon fillet. You will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Extra virgin olive oil.
Pesto sauce. Get a jar of pesto sauce, or make your own. Vegan pesto works as well as the one with Parmesan.
Cherry tomatoes. Campari variety of tomatoes would also be great, as well as grape tomatoes.
Yukon gold potatoes. I never peel the skin. Instead, I scrub the skin clean and cube them to a small size. Use the potatoes that are already in your pantry, and by all means, peel the skin before dicing if you prefer.
Asparagus. It is one of my favorite vegetables, especially roasted. I wash and peel the lower part, then cut it 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 and garlic. A small onion is enough. Substitute with shallots or thinly sliced leeks.
Sea salt, pepper, and chili flakes. I love adding some chili flakes for serving.
A lemon. When the dish is done and ready to serve, I zest a lemon and drizzle its juice all over. The lemon adds brightness and makes the pesto flavor pop.

This Greek salmon recipe is wonderfully flexible — think of it as a template. You can use a Greek salmon marinade of olive oil, lemon, and oregano in place of store-bought pesto, or stir a teaspoon of Greek seasoning for salmon into the pesto for an extra layer of flavor. Vegan pesto works beautifully here. And if you want to go all-in on the Greek-style salmon experience, crumble a little feta over the pan in the last five minutes of baking.

How to make this Greek salmon recipe

Halved cherry tomatoes, chopped onion, quartered potatoes and trimmed and cut asparagus on a cutting board.

Prepare the veggies. Halve the cherry tomatoes, peel the asparagus, and cut into one-inch-long pieces. Dice the potatoes and roughly chop the onion and garlic.

Halved cherry tomatoes, chopped onion, quartered potatoes and trimmed in a baking pan dressed with pesto sauce.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 425°F.
Add the cherry tomatoes, cubed potatoes, onion and garlic in a medium oven-proof pan. Drizzle half of the olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Take half of the pesto and mix it with the veggies. Bake for 30 minutes.

Two salmon fillets covered with pesto sauce surrounded with cherry tomatoes, potatoes and asparagus in skillet, on a table.

Remove the pan from the oven.
Massage each salmon fillet with one full tablespoon of pesto.
Create space in the middle of the veggies with the help of a large spatula or spoon. Tuck in the salmon fillets and surround them with the veggies. 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 or until the salmon has reached your preferred doneness.
Right before serving, zest the lemon and drizzle lemon juice all over the dish.

Close up of Greek salmon fillets with pesto, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus in a skillet

How to serve this Greek-style salmon

This salmon is a complete meal, yet you can pair it with fresh, warm olive oil bread, a beautiful green salad, or Greek sweet peas with dill. For a family-style seafood feast, add a broccoli-cauliflower salad, crispy fried calamari, and shrimp saganaki to your table.

How to store leftover Greek salmon

Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The vegetables actually improve overnight as they soak up the pesto and lemon.
Reheating: Warm gently in a 160°C/325°F oven for 10-12 minutes, covered loosely with foil to prevent drying out. Avoid the microwave if possible — it tends to make salmon rubbery.
Freezer: Cooked salmon can be frozen for up to 1 month. The potatoes and asparagus don’t freeze well (they go mushy), so if you’re planning to freeze, separate the salmon before storing.

FAQs

You can roast the vegetables up to a day ahead and store them covered in the fridge. When ready to serve, bring them to room temperature, tuck in the fresh salmon fillets coated with pesto, and bake as directed. The salmon itself is always best cooked fresh.

Greek style salmon typically means cooking salmon with Mediterranean staples — extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic, and herbs like oregano or basil. In this recipe, the pesto brings the basil and olive oil together beautifully, and the lemon zest at the end is a very Greek finishing touch.

Yes. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight first and pat very dry before coating with pesto. Excess moisture will steam the salmon rather than roast it.

Yes! Cook the potatoes and tomatoes first at 200°C/400°F for about 15 minutes, then add the pesto-coated salmon and cook for another 10-12 minutes depending on thickness. This naturally targets the “greek salmon recipe air fryer” keyword from your data.