Caffeine Free Basil-Pesto Salmon Fillets
Bright, herbaceous, and genuinely stunning on the plate, this salmon dish is the kind of weeknight dinner that feels far more impressive than the effort involved. 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 completely alive. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of caffeine, so there's no need to scrutinize labels or swap anything out; it just works as written. The technique is straightforward: sear the fillets in a hot skillet to build a golden crust, crown them with that vivid green pesto, then let the oven finish the job to a perfectly flaky 145°F. The avocado gives the pesto a richness that clings beautifully to the fish without weighing it down, while the lemon keeps everything tasting fresh and bright. Serve it with extra lemon wedges and a few torn basil leaves and you've got a dinner that looks like it came from a nice restaurant.
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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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