Walnut Free Basil-Pesto Salmon Fillets
Bright, herbaceous, and genuinely impressive on the plate, this baked salmon dish delivers restaurant-level flavor with a surprisingly short ingredient list. The pesto here skips the traditional pine nuts entirely and instead leans on creamy avocado to build that rich, silky texture — no nuts of any kind make it into the bowl. Fresh basil, lemon juice, garlic, and a hint of ground ginger come together in the blender to create a vivid green sauce that tastes anything but simple. Searing the fillets first in a hot skillet locks in a golden crust before the oven finishes the job, so you get beautifully flaky fish with a luscious pesto topping in every bite. Store-bought pesto is almost always made with pine nuts or walnuts and can carry cross-contact risks, so blending your own in minutes is genuinely worth it. A squeeze of lemon at the table brightens everything up and makes the whole dish feel fresh and light. This one is easy enough for a weeknight but polished enough to serve to guests without a second thought.
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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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