Garlic Pesto Salmon

by | Sep 22, 2015 | American Cuisine, Italian Cuisine

Garlic Pesto Salmon - Low Key Cooking

Garlic Pesto Salmon - Low Key CookingSalmon is one of my favorite foods to cook with.

It’s almost impossible to screw up, it’s easy to season and it always looks classy. It fully embraces my gourmet the lazy way mantra.

This particular salmon dish only requires a few ingredients and it’s gluten free. Even if you’re not a fish person I encourage you to give this one a try—I have a feeling my garlic pesto recipe will make a salmon lover out of even the harshest critics.

What You’ll Need:

  • 2 (6oz) skinless salmon fillets
  • 1/2 lb asparagus
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small jar of pesto sauce (unless you have a better homemade pesto)
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1 garlic clove – minced
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Take your asparagus and cut about 1/4 of the asparagus off the back ends (the asparagus should be just a little longer than the length of the salmon filets). Then cut your cherry tomatoes in half and combine them with your asparagus and minced garlic clove in a medium size mixing bowl. Cut your lemon in half and squeeze the juice out into the bowl with your veggies. Add 3 tbsp of olive to bowl and mix until the oil and lemon juice is thoroughly combined with your veggies.

Cut yourself two sheets of foil about 1 ft. long and 1 ft. wide. Take your asparagus and layer it neatly in the center of your foil. Then take the salmon filet and season it lightly on both sides with salt and pepper then lay it flatly over the asparagus. Spoon an even layer of pesto over the salmon filet (don’t be shy with the pesto, it needs a little more than you might think). Then layer your tomatoes over the pesto sauce covering the salmon. The garlic should be evenly mixed between the tomatoes and the asparagus. Finally sprinkle a light layer of cayenne pepper over the top of your tomatoes.

Wrap the excess foil around the top of your salmon creating a sort of cocoon. Place both of your foil wrapped salmon filets on a baking sheet and cook for 20-22 minutes or until fully cooked. 

Plating:

Be careful taking your salmon out of the oven as it’s going to be hot. To plate, just peel back the foil and put the whole thing on a plate. If you really want to go the extra mile, serve with a side of mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Enjoy!