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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

Lola Jay
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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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 810 kcal

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

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 Facts
Crispy Pesto Salmon
Amount per Serving
Calories
810
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
67
g
103
%
Saturated Fat
 
17
g
106
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
9
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
28
g
Cholesterol
 
139
mg
46
%
Sodium
 
795
mg
35
%
Potassium
 
970
mg
28
%
Carbohydrates
 
10
g
3
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
3
g
3
%
Protein
 
42
g
84
%
Vitamin A
 
1904
IU
38
%
Vitamin C
 
10
mg
12
%
Calcium
 
267
mg
27
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!