Simple pan-seared salmon is smothered in a flavorful spinach basil pesto sauce for a healthier dinner you can have ready in under 15 minutes. — Serve this salmon with a green salad and you’ve got dinner done!
Simple dinner thrills are going down in skillet dinner land today, y’all.
Once in awhile, believe it or not, I do like to keep dinner stuff on the side that screams SIMPLE. That would be this pan-seared salmon for ya. —> —>
Living proof that once in awhile I can put away the browned butter and the grilled pineapple and just let the simple dinner things speak for themselves.
Psssssst. This skillet is speaking pretty sweet dinner nothings currently. Hear it? Wouldn’t you rather taste it?
I’m on team taste it, guys. Now and forevaaa.
So how long has it been since we last did pesto ANYTHING around these parts, guys? Like weeks and weeks and WEEKS. For awhile during this summer I had a steady stream of pesto recipes popping up on the blog like once every few days, but that obviously fizzled out.
I mean, it’s probably a good thing this pan-seared salmon wandered into my life because obviously it’s now in yours and for that you should be praising the pesto gods, because it is KILLER.
Totally easy-peasy simple dinner thrills, but killer nonetheless.
How we start. —> Make our pesto. This should be second nature to most of you by now if you’ve spent even a millisecond on my blog. Spinach, basil leaves, pine nuts, a splash of lime juice, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, and good ‘ol salt and pepper take a spin in the food processor…
Salmon time. Pat your fillets completely dry with paper towels, then season both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, make sure your pan is nice and hot with oil in the bottom all ready for searing. Sear the salmon on both sides and our job is almoooooost done here, I promise.
All that’s left to do is smother those fillets in gobs of fresh pesto sauce, then stand back and stare at your green masterpiece. It really is a masterpiece, guys.
A short-lived one though. Because things this good-lookin’ require attacking. With your fork/your face. Either one gets the job done effectively.
And that’s a simple weeknight dinner done right for ya, y’all. Veeeeeery very right.
Pan-Seared Salmon with Spinach Basil Pesto Sauce
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Ingredients
Pesto Sauce
- 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Salmon
- 10 oz salmon fillets two 5-6 oz fillets
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Make the pesto sauce: In a food processor, place spinach, basil, pine nuts, lime juice, garlic, Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. With food processor on, drizzle olive oil through top, pulsing pesto until smooth, scraping down sides if necessary. Place pesto in a small bowl and set aside.
- Make the salmon: Pat salmon fillets dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sear salmon on both sides 3 minutes until golden-brown. Transfer salmon fillets to a serving plate and drizzle pesto sauce on top. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
Wanna know my close-second salmon love? THIS one!!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
That pesto sauce is totally calling my name! What a gorgeous dish! My husband and I eat salmon a few times a month, so I definitely need to try this. Sounds so good and perfect for fall!
Manali@CookWithManali says
that pesto looks incredibly amazing Sarah! yum!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
That pesto is so bright and beautiful and green! This whole dish just looks incredibly delicious – I’ve definitely got to try this for dinner soon 🙂
Jen | Baked by an Introvert says
Spinach basil pesto sounds AMAZING!! I can just imagine how delicious it pairs with salmon!!
marcie says
Salmon and pesto are what I live for! This dish looks amazing and I love that generous slathering of pesto sauce — there’s no other way to do it! 🙂
mira says
I cook salmon all the time and will definitely try this recipe! Looks awesome!
Medadvicees says
All the supermarket pestos are made with seed oils. Can anyone recommend a brand available in Australia not containing seed oils?
Sofia Graf says
I have cooked pan seared Salmon with ghee replacing olive oil. I have compared ghee vs olive oil and have found ghee as a better cooking oil for its high smoke point and nutritional profile. I always use grass-fed ghee.
I prefer using Milkio grass-fed ghee for all my recipes.
Sarah says
Thanks for the recommendation, Sofia! I will definitely be trying this out next time I pan sear salmon!