Oven Baked Salmon with Pesto

Oven Baked Salmon with Pesto is a rare meal with virtually no prep and minimal cleanup! You’ll love this luscious salmon fillet, baked with aromatic pesto and ripe tomatoes.

A dinner plate served with roasted cherry tomatoes and salmon.

A Vibrant, Wholesome Salmon Dinner, Prepared in 30 Minutes!

You guys already find out about my love affair with straightforward salmon recipes, proper? Sure, I’m a complete sucker for dishes like Honey Garlic Sauce Salmon, Lemon Butter Grilled Salmon, and Air Fryer Salmon with Mustard Sauce. Cooking salmon with a savory rub, sauce, or glaze is simply in regards to the easiest method on earth to get dinner on the desk, quick.

Which brings me to my subsequent obsession: pesto. This recent, vivid inexperienced sauce is certainly one of my favourite taste combos: basil, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, and pine nuts is every part. It someway manages to be salty, wealthy, vibrant, zingy, and gentle, . The one factor you want is one thing to eat it with, and you may’t go improper.

Pasta, hen, and buttered toast factors are all nice with basil pesto! And, while you pair pesto with perfectly-cooked salmon, you’ve obtained a profitable dish.

Not into basil pesto? Then, it’s your time to strive my recipe for 👉 Tomato Pesto Salmon.

A tray of baked salmon with pesto, cherry tomatoes, and lemons.

Is Salmon Wholesome or Unhealthy?

When eaten moderately, salmon is an effective way to get wholesome Omega-3 fatty acids in your food plan, together with plenty of different great things like, protein, astaxanthin (an antioxidant), B nutritional vitamins, potassium, and extra.

Total, salmon is a wholesome meals with plenty of advantages, however as all the time, speak along with your private healthcare supplier to see if salmon is an effective alternative for you! All people is completely different, and each physique is completely different, so it pays to know your individual particular dietary wants.

Components

One other factor to like about pesto baked salmon? It’s a five-ingredient meal (not counting the salt and pepper). You gained’t even have to make a grocery checklist! This one is brief and candy.

Salmon: You’ll want one entire salmon fillet, skin-on. (That’s a big, 2 to 2.5 pound fillet, not a person portion.)
Salt and Pepper
Pesto: Seize a few of your favourite basil pesto, home made or store-bought.
Cherry Tomatoes: Reduce in half. You may additionally use bigger tomatoes, simply reduce them into bite-sized items.
Olive Oil: Further-virgin has probably the most taste, however any olive oil is okay.
Lemon Wedges: For serving.

Is Frozen Salmon Good?

Many people have an unstated rule that recent is healthier than frozen, and this will typically be true – however not all the time. Within the case of frozen fish, you would possibly discover that some frozen choices are higher than recent!

The difficulty is that except you will have entry to fresh-caught seafood, then your seafood must be frozen earlier than being shipped to your location. From there, it’s thawed and bought, or it’s positioned (whereas nonetheless frozen) within the freezer part. That’s why shopping for a bag of frozen fish would possibly simply provide you with a greater dinner than shopping for fish that’s been sitting behind the fish counter. So my rule of thumb? Frozen is okay, perhaps even higher.

Methods to Make Baked Salmon with Pesto

Let’s speak in regards to the course of for making this – it’s so low-maintenance, you guys. An entire salmon fillet could appear intimidating, nevertheless it doesn’t need to be.

Get Prepared. To get began with this recipe, you’ll wish to preheat your oven to 400˚F and line a big, rimmed baking sheet with foil. Then lay the entire fillet skin-side-down on the baking sheet.
Add Seasonings and Pesto. Subsequent, sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper, and pour pesto over it. Use a spoon to unfold the pesto over the salmon fillet. (Watch out to not dip the spoon into the jar after touching the salmon with it – that may unfold micro organism.)

A fillet of salmon sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Add Tomatoes. Put together the tomatoes by tossing them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Organize the tomatoes across the salmon.
Bake! Slide the baking sheet into the oven for 25 minutes, or till the salmon is flaky, and the inner temperature registers at round 145˚F.
Take pleasure in! Take the pan out of the oven and slice the fillet into particular person parts. Serve with the tomatoes, and lemon wedges for squeezing.

A sheet pan with a pesto-covered salmon fillet surrounded by halved cherry tomatoes.

Baked salmon with pesto and tomatoes on a sheet pan.

Useful Recipe Suggestions

Need to know extra about making baked salmon with pesto sauce? Listed below are my favourite ideas and methods for making probably the most out of this straightforward dinner concept.

Add Veggies: Be at liberty so as to add onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and different tender veggies across the salmon to get a built-in facet dish going! These tender veggies will likely be a wholesome addition to your meal. Simply toss them with oil, salt, and pepper earlier than baking.
Rice and Pasta: In the event you select to make rice or pasta with this recipe, begin the rice cooker or pasta water while you put the salmon in your oven. They’ll be performed at nearly the identical time.
Parchment: If you need to make use of one thing aside from foil, parchment paper is a superb concept. It’s also possible to prepare dinner straight in your baking sheet – simply give the underside of the salmon a lightweight brush with high-heat oil, like vegetable oil. This may assist stop sticking.
Baking Time: To keep away from overcooking or undercooking, chances are you’ll want to regulate the baking time a bit. The simplest strategy to be sure you get it proper is to make use of a meat thermometer. Test the salmon a couple of minutes early, and if it’s at 145°F, take it out of the oven. If not, preserve checking each couple of minutes till it reaches that time.

An individual slice of a pesto salmon fillet on a small plate with a fork and knife.

Aspect Dish Options

To serve baked salmon, simply add a straightforward facet dish or two. This recipe is nice with pasta, veggies, salad, and extra:

Potatoes: Seafood and potatoes are an underrated mixture – add a facet of Air Fryer Baked Potatoes to your pesto baked salmon, and also you’ll see what I imply. Fluffy, steamy baked potatoes are a whole-family fave.
Roasted Cauliflower: A low-carb possibility is all the time good to have readily available, and these crispy Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower Bites are loaded with style and texture. You’ll love how the Parmesan within the pesto echoes the Parmesan on these munchable veggie bites.
Inexperienced Veggies: Inexperienced beans, peas, salad… can’t go improper with one thing inexperienced! For my cash, Sautéed Garlic Broccolini is a brilliant straightforward, tremendous tasty inexperienced veggie facet you possibly can whip up very quickly.

Methods to Retailer and Reheat Baked Salmon

To retailer your leftovers, cool them down fully after which place them in an hermetic container or zip-top bag.
Preserve refrigerated for as much as 3 days.
To reheat, place in a lined skillet over low warmth till warmed by.

Can I Freeze the Leftovers?

You may freeze leftover salmon fairly simply. Simply place it in a freezer bag, and press out as a lot air as you possibly can when you seal it. Then retailer it within the freezer for two to three months.
Thaw in your fridge earlier than reheating.

ENJOY!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Prepare dinner Time 25 minutes

Complete Time 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Line a big baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place the salmon within the middle of the foil, skin-side down.
Rub the minced garlic evenly everywhere in the fillet.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
Unfold the pesto everywhere in the high. Put aside.
In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Organize the tomatoes across the salmon filet.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or till salmon is flaky and inner temperature of the salmon registers at 145˚F. Use an On the spot Learn Thermometer to test for doneness.
Take away from oven.
Reduce into individual-sized filets.
Serve with the cooked tomatoes and a facet of lemon wedges.

Salmon: On this scrumptious recipe I used an entire salmon fillet, however if in case you have particular person salmon fillets that you just’d like to make use of up, that may even work. For particular person sized fillets, chances are you’ll wish to begin checking for doneness across the 16-minute mark.
Cooking Time: Salmon cooks pretty rapidly, and typically, most fish are performed beneath 25 minutes. Nonetheless, the timing will fluctuate relying on the scale and thickness of the fillet(s). To be sure that it’s cooked by, all the time use an On the spot Learn Meat Thermometer.
Tomatoes and Veggies: Be at liberty so as to add another veggies that you just like or have readily available. Slices of zucchini, onions, strips of bell peppers, broccoli, and so forth, are all nice choices.
Basil Pesto: I like to recommend utilizing about 3/4-cup pesto, however if you wish to use kind of, that’s as much as you and completely OK to do.

Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in accordance with the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.