Barley Free Basil-Pesto Salmon Fillets
Bright, herbaceous, and genuinely stunning on the plate, this salmon dish delivers restaurant-quality results with a surprisingly short ingredient list. The star is a creamy avocado-basil pesto blended with garlic, lemon juice, and a hint of ground ginger — it comes together in minutes and tastes like something you'd pay good money for at a nice bistro. Searing the fillets first locks in a gorgeous golden crust before the oven finishes the job, giving you that perfect flaky interior without any guesswork. Because every component here is built from whole, fresh ingredients — fish, herbs, olive oil, citrus — there's no need to scan labels for hidden grain derivatives or worry about sneaky additives that can show up in store-bought sauces and marinades. The avocado gives the pesto a luscious, almost buttery body that clings beautifully to the fish as it roasts. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and a few torn basil leaves, and you've got a dish that looks like it took way more effort than it did.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ½ medium avocado, pitted and scooped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
For the salmon
- 4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each), skin-on
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
- lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
- fresh basil leaves, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- 2
Combine the basil, avocado, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and ground ginger in a food processor or blender. Pulse several times to break everything down, then stream in the 1/4 cup olive oil with the motor running until the pesto is smooth and bright green. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Set aside.
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