Pistachio Pesto Salmon

I’ve been making this dish since college thanks to its introduction to me by my dear friend Tracy French.  It is simple, elegant, and foolproof, and I have since used it to impress new boyfriends (one of which didn’t like salmon and still loved this recipe) and dinner party guests.  It is especially easy to make multiple portions of since it just cooks away in the oven and you can ignore it while tending to side dishes, table setting, and drink pouring.  I especially like to serve it with a simple lemony kale salad.  Last night I served it with crispy smashed potatoes because I was feeling carby.  I’ve also served it with sautéed green beans, broiled asparagus, Greek salad, orzo – you get the picture, it’s versatile.  You can easily sub the homemade pesto for store-bought (which I have done multiple times), but it’s always fun to say you made the pesto yourself (plus it definitely tastes better and brighter).

For the pesto:
Two big handfuls of basil leaves (2 cups ish)
2 garlic cloves
1 small handful of pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios – whatever nut you have on hand (about 1/4 cup)
¼ cup EVOO
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan (replace half of this with pecorino sardo if you can – adds a great salty bite)
S&P

For the salmon:
Two 6 ounce salmon filets
1 handful of roughly chopped shelled pistachios
S&P, EVOO
 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To make the pesto, pulse the basil, garlic, nuts, and EVOO in a food processor until it forms a paste.  Feel free to use a spatula to push down the basil between pulses.  Add the cheese to the mixture with a pinch of kosher salt and a couple grinds of pepper and pulse to combine.

Rub a small amount of olive oil on a small baking sheet or shallow oven-proof ceramic dish (prettier for presenting).  Add the salmon filets and season the top of them with S&P.  Spoon the pesto over the top of the salmon, spreading so the layer is evenly distributed.  Be generous, the pesto is delicious on every bite.  Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the top.

Bake the salmon for 17 to 20 minutes – I generally land around 18 minutes, but it depends on the size of the filets (more time for bigger pieces) and your preference on salmon (I like mine medium).  Feel free to take all credit for being an amazing impressive chef when the compliments come rolling in.  Buon appetito!