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Pesto Baked Salmon
Pesto Baked Salmon is fresh, colourful, and exactly the sort of food I want when I’m feeling under the weather but still want something properly delicious. Salmon fillets are topped with a generous layer of homemade pesto, then baked until tender and flaky. I served mine with roasted vine tomatoes on the side, because apparently my version of sick-day comfort food involves as much colour as possible.
Pesto Baked Salmon
My 3-ingredient baked pesto salmon is one of those gloriously easy dinners that still feels like you’ve made an effort. Salmon fillets are topped with pesto, then baked until tender and flaky with loads of herby flavour on top. I love this recipe for busy evenings because it takes just minutes to prep and around 15 minutes in the oven. Serve it with roast potatoes, greens, salad or pasta for a simple dinner that proves you really don’t need a long ingredient list to make something good.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets
- 6 tbsp pesto (see my pesto recipes here)
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C (conventional) / 180°C (fan) / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a baking tray with the olive oil.
- Place the salmon fillets on the prepared tray, skin side down.
- Spread approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of pesto evenly over the top of each salmon fillet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, or until cooked to your liking.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- The cooking time will depend more on the thickness of your salmon fillets than their overall size. Thinner fillets may be ready closer to 12 minutes, while thicker pieces can take the full 15 minutes.
- Spread the pesto over the top of the salmon rather than down the sides. This keeps a good layer of pesto on each fillet instead of losing it onto the tray.
- If your pesto is quite thick, use the back of a spoon to gently press it over the salmon rather than trying to spread it too thinly.
- You don't need to season the salmon separately if your pesto is already well seasoned.
- Keep an eye on the pesto towards the end of cooking, particularly if it contains cheese or nuts, as the top can begin to brown quite quickly.
- The salmon should flake easily with a fork when cooked, while still remaining moist in the centre.
- Skin-on salmon works particularly well here, as the skin helps protect the underside of the fish while it bakes.
- This recipe works with homemade or shop-bought pesto, so use whichever you have on hand.
- Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- This is best served fresh rather than frozen, as reheated salmon can dry out and the pesto can lose some of its freshness.
Serve this with
- Serve with my Crispy Roast Potatoes with Lemon & Thyme for a bright, crisp side. The lemon lifts the pesto while the golden potatoes make the salmon feel like a complete dinner.
- Pair with roasted broccolini for something simple and green. A little char and lemon complement the rich salmon and herby pesto beautifully without overpowering either.
- Add my Greek Salad for a fresh Mediterranean-style side. The cucumber, tomato, olives and feta bring crunch and acidity that balance the rich salmon and herby pesto nicely.
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Sick Leave, Salmon and a Very Watchful Cat
If you actually read these sections, then you’ll know I’m currently recovering from a rather horrid cold that eventually turned into a sinus infection. Honestly, I feel like I’ve been unwell constantly this year, catching every cold, virus, bout of exhaustion, and general bit of nonsense floating around. This week I’ve ended up with a strange combination of sick leave and annual leave, which sounds relaxing in theory but has mostly involved me feeling extremely tired while trying to convince myself I’m definitely recovering.
Of course, me being me, I’ve still found my way into the kitchen. Lulu has been supervising the entire process rather closely. On my first properly sick day he stayed beside me almost constantly, which was very sweet and unlike his usual deeply independent self. Now that I’ve been home for a while, however, the concern seems to have worn off. He’s started glaring at me with the unmistakable expression of a cat wondering when exactly I’m planning to leave his flat and return to work. Unfortunately for him, he’s still got a few days of my company left.
Yesterday, during my slightly feverish freezer clean-out, I found some salmon fillets I’d bought with the very best intentions and then completely forgotten about. Naturally, my immediate thought was pesto baked salmon. Delicious, easy, colourful, perfect. Except I had no pesto. What I did have was a bag of rocket, some abandoned walnuts, and Pecorino, so I made my Rocket and Walnut Pesto instead. By the time that was finished, though, I was completely done for the day. So the salmon had to wait until today, when I finally had enough energy to pull everything together.
Comfort Food, But Make It Colourful
Most people seem to reach for beige food when they’re sick. Toast, noodles, mashed potatoes, chips, all the soft comforting carbs that require very little thought. And look, I understand the appeal completely, but when I’m properly run down I start craving colour instead. Give me salmon, greens, tomatoes, herbs, vegetables, anything that makes me feel like I’m putting something bright and bountiful back into my body after days of feeling like a damp tissue.
That’s exactly why this salmon hit the spot. I used my rocket and walnut pesto, which is peppery and savoury, with enough richness from the walnuts and Pecorino to stand up beautifully to the salmon. Though, please do use whatever pesto you have on hand. Once it bakes, the pesto softens over the fish and almost becomes part of the crust, while the salmon underneath stays tender and flaky. I added roasted cherry tomatoes still on the vine because I love the way they collapse and sweeten in the oven, and they make the whole plate look considerably more cheerful than I currently feel.
It also happens to be a very low-effort dinner, which is about as ambitious as I need to be right now. Spread pesto over salmon, put it in the oven, roast some tomatoes alongside it, done. No standing over the stove for ages and no enormous pile of washing up afterwards. I keep looking at all the ingredients I bought for this week and thinking about the recipes I could make, but the antibiotics are absolutely knocking me around. I’ve got ideas, I’ve got food, and I’ve got time. What I don’t have is endless energy. So I’m trying to remember that one good meal is enough, especially when I can finally breathe through my nose again. Small victories.
Missing My Favourite Person
The other strange thing about this week is that it’s now been more than twenty-four hours since I’ve heard from my best friend, and I miss him terribly. He’s currently camping in the Flinders Ranges, completely out of range, which is wonderful for him and deeply inconvenient for me. We talk every day, so having him suddenly disappear into the wilderness while I’m home sick and bored feels extremely unfair. I’m sure he’s having a lovely time beneath the stars while I’m here discussing antibiotics with Lulu.
The longest we’ve gone without speaking, excluding our breakup, was three days more than a year ago when he went glamping. And yes, breakup. We used to date. Life got in the way, we broke up almost exactly two years ago, didn’t speak for a month, and then apparently both decided being without the other person was considerably worse than figuring out how to be friends. So that’s what we did. Friends became best friends, and somehow that version of us has lasted longer than the relationship itself.
Our relationship was built on friendship in the first place, which probably explains a lot. He is hands down the funniest man I’ve ever met, and nobody makes me laugh quite like he does. If you’ve been following my stories over the past few months, I suspect some of you have just had a very dramatic little “a-ha!” moment. Yes, I know. I am fully aware. You don’t need to stage an intervention. For now he’s camping, I’m recovering, and I’m filling the silence with cooking. By the time he gets back into phone range, I’ll either have created several new recipes or finally listened to my body and slept for three days. Given my track record, it could genuinely go either way.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen salmon fillets?
Yes, but defrost them completely before baking and pat them dry with paper towel. Excess moisture from partially frozen salmon can make the pesto slide off and leave liquid pooling around the fish as it cooks.
Can I make this with skinless salmon?
Yes. Skinless fillets work perfectly well, although they’re a little more exposed to the heat from the baking tray. Lightly oiling the tray becomes particularly important so the salmon doesn’t stick, and take care not to overcook thinner fillets.
Can I use another fish instead of salmon?
A firm white fish such as cod, barramundi or snapper can also work well with pesto. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness and type of fish, so treat the 12-15 minutes as specific to the salmon rather than applying it automatically to a substitute.
Ingredient breakdown
Salmon fillets
Salmon has enough richness to stand up to the strong herb, cheese and nut flavours in pesto without being overwhelmed by them. Fillets of a similar thickness are useful so they finish cooking at roughly the same time. Skin-on salmon works particularly well because the skin creates a little protection between the delicate flesh and the hot baking tray.
Pesto
Pesto does almost all of the flavour work in this recipe, coating the salmon with herbs, olive oil, cheese and whichever nuts or other ingredients are used in your chosen version. About 1 1/2 tablespoons per fillet gives you a generous layer without completely burying the fish. Basil pesto is the obvious choice, but rocket pesto and other homemade variations work beautifully too.
Olive oil
Only a teaspoon is needed because the pesto itself already contains plenty of oil. Here, the olive oil is primarily for lightly greasing the baking tray, helping prevent the salmon skin or flesh from sticking as it cooks.
