Basil and Dill Pesto Crusted Baked Salmon
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
FOR THE BASIL AND DILL PESTO
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • ⅓ cup fresh dill
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup pecans (or other nut of choice)
  • zest and juice of one lemon
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (a bit more or less may be needed)
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
FOR THE SALMON
  • ½ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 lbs. salmon
  • Basil and Dill Pesto (from above)
Instructions
FOR THE BASIL AND DILL PESTO
  1. Places the cloves of garlic in an empty food processor bowl. Process garlic by itself to finely chop. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  2. Add basil, dill, parmesan, pecans, lemon zest and lemon juice to the food processor and turn on.
  3. While the food processor is on, stream in the olive oil to create a smooth, spreadable paste.
  4. Set aside
FOR THE SALMON
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan. Set aside.
  3. Place salmon (either leave whole or cut into serving side pieces) in a large casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
  4. Spread pesto on the salmon, reserving about ⅓ of it for serving.
  5. Add breadcrumb/parmesan mixture over top of the pesto on the salmon.
  6. Place salmon in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through and breadcrumbs are golden brown. The salmon should be just opaque all the way through, flaky and still moist.
  7. Serve over brown rice or quinoa and top with reserved pesto.
Recipe by Becky's Best Bites at https://beckysbestbites.com/basil-dill-pesto-crusted-baked-salmon/