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Salmon with pesto sauce on rice, garnished with basil and lemon, served in a white bowl on a wooden table.

Crispy Pesto Salmon

This crispy pesto salmon recipe tastes straight out of a gourmet restaurant but is an easy recipe that anyone can make in under 30 minutes! It's made with wild caught Alaskan salmon cooked to tender, crispy perfection and completed in a creamy basil sauce topped with a dash of lemon. So delicious! Serve this crispy pesto salmon with my Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Basil Roasted Vegetables and you've got yourself the perfect meal!
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: juicy, pesto, quick, salmon
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 810kcal
Author: Lola Jay

Ingredients

Salmon

  • 2 wild caught salmon filet or 3 lb skinless or skin on
  • ½ cup of pesto recipe below if you want to make your own
  • ½ lemon
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pesto

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves no stems
  • 2 tablespoon pine nuts
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • 1 large cloves garlic
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Salmon

  • Heat your oil and butter in a pan. Make sure to heat well so that you can form that crispy crust on your salmon.
    Cooking butter melts in a white pot with a spatula, on a wooden counter.
  • Add in your salmon and cook for 5 minutes or until a crisp crust forms.
    Two salmon fillets skin-side down in a white pan on a stovetop, beginning to cook.
  • Flip it over and cook for another 5 minutes and then set aside.
    Two seared salmon fillets in a white pan with butter.
  • Remove the oil from the pan and add in your heavy cream, chicken stock and cornstarch mixture, the red pepper flakes, and your lemon juice. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
    Cooking creamy sauce in a white pot on a stovetop with herbs sprinkled on top.
  • Add in your salmon and cook for an additional 5 mins or until your desired doneness. I like mine medium, which was roughly 5 mins.
    Salmon fillets cooking in creamy basil sauce in a white pot on a stovetop.

Pesto

  • In a food processor, add in all your ingredients except the olive oil and combine.
    Ingredients for pesto: fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and grated cheese on a wooden board.
  • Slowly add in your olive oil, combining in between.
    Person using a food processor to chop leafy greens and beans in a kitchen setting.
  • Your final product should look like this.
    Food processor blending fresh green pesto sauce on a wooden table.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 810kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 67g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 795mg | Potassium: 970mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1904IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 3mg