Baked Salmon with Pesto and Pecans
Just 3 ingredients to make this easy, quick, and very tasty Baked Salmon with Pesto and Pecans. Great for a red meat-free dinner or when you want a healthy and delicious option for a weeknight meal. It’s so good; even non-Salmon fans will love this!
As any parent would know, it is always difficult or at least a challenge to make kids eat vegetables.
Now, think about making them eat seafood, particularly fish NOT in nuggets form NOR coated in bread crumbs to disguise what it really is.
Yeah, it can be tricky.
Thankfully, while it was a little difficult in the beginning to convince my two kids to eat fish or seafood, finally, after some vigorous coaching they finally relented and actually now enjoys eating them.
My 7-year-old Sophie totally loves shrimps and often asks for it to be included when we order Chinese food. William, on the other hand, loves Tuna and especially enjoys the Tuna omelet I make for him on occasion.
Both of them love Sushi as well, though they still need more practice on how to use the chopsticks, but, eventually and hopefully, they will get the hang of it. 🙂
Certainly, one of their favorite dishes for dinner that involves seafood is salmon. Now, at first, I wasn’t sure they would like this, not so much because of the fish, but because there were some nuts on top.
These two kiddos are not huge fans of nuts at all though I am thankful that they are not allergic to them….but they would say they don’t like the taste.
I added them anyway to not only provide crunch and texture but to give some extra flavor, too. Thankfully, they enjoyed this and both finished their meal happily.
One thing I loved about making this was I cooked the salmon with asparagus on the same baking sheet so the main and side dish both came out at the same time. So, certainly, bake this along with some veggies to save time as well.
We particularly love asparagus with this. Of course, you can’t complain with just 3 ingredients and it takes just a few minutes to make them. You don’t even need to season it (unless you want to) as the pesto gives it a lot of flavor already. Yup, it’s really quick and easy!
Here are the Salmon fillets before they were baked.
Here’s what it looks like after it’s been cooked. It really came out so tender and juicy, not dry at all. Well, hope you all enjoy this Salmon dish for dinner!
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Just 3 ingredients to make this easy, quick and very tasty Baked Salmon with Pesto and Pecans. Even non-Salmon fans will love this!
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS FOR EASY BAKED SALMON WITH PESTO AND PECANS?
- 4 Salmon fillets
- 4 Tablespoons store-bought or homemade Pesto, divided (use paleo-friendly pesto for paleo diet)
- 4 Tablespoons crushed Pecans, divided
HOW DO YOU MAKE EASY BAKED SALMON WITH PESTO AND PECANS?
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly grease or oil a baking sheet. Place the Salmon fillets skin side down on the prepared pan. Spoon a tablespoon of pesto per fillet and spread all over the salmon. Sprinkle the crushed pecans all over (about a tablespoon each).
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily when poked. Adjust the time according the to thickness of your fish. Serve immediately and have it with your favorite vegetables.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Baked Salmon with Pesto and Pecans
Ingredients
- 4 Salmon fillets
- 4 Tablespoons store-bought or homemade Pesto divided (use paleo-friendly pesto for paleo diet)
- 4 Tablespoons crushed Pecans divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly grease or oil a baking sheet. Place the Salmon fillets skin side down on the prepared pan.
- Spoon a tablespoon of pesto per fillet and spread all over the salmon. Sprinkle the crushed pecans all over (about a tablespoon each).
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily when poked. Adjust the time according the to thickness of your fish. Serve immediately and have it with your favorite vegetables.
Nutrition
Last updated on April 7th, 2025 at 04:11 pm
We are back to eating fish and I have been really enjoying salmon. Topping it with salmon is one of my favourite things to do, but I love that you have included pecans too – they are my favourite nut!
The pecans surely added some yummy crunch! Thanks!
What a gorgeous healthy meal. Those nuts are inspired! I haven't seen salmon prepared this way. Yay for you. Teaching your kids to love seafood!
I am glad they don't mind eating it and actually love it. Thanks Diane!
I love salmon, your recipe makes me drool! Nettie
Please enjoy Nettie! Thanks!
This looks divine! My daughter is a sucker for salmon, she'll devour this!
Hope she loves it! Thanks!
That coating of nuts over the salmon looks delicious! This would be a great meal to serve for guests too since the presentation is also so lovely!
It is perfect for guests indeed. Thanks Sandra!
I've never had a nut coating on Salmon. I'm going to have to try this because that looks delish.
Hope you enjoy this Ronda!
This looks awesome! One of our friends is a fisherman, so sometimes we get nice salmon, and I need to learn how to cook it. Thanks!
Please try Debi! Salmon is quite a forgiving fish and pretty easy to cook or bake I find and not as scary as swordfish. Thanks!
I love your pesto with pecan topping on the salmon.
Please enjoy and thanks Joanne!
I love salmon and always appreciate a great recipe with it!
Thanks Katerina!
Beautiful Salmon dish for any occasion
Indeed, Jennifer! Thanks!
I have topped salmon with pesto then sauteed it. But I love your idea of baking it with the pecan topping added to the pesto. On my "to do" list for sure.
Been far too long since I've prepared Salmon, you've inspired me to pick some up!
I love you only use three ingredients. That makes this perfect for those nights I don't have much time.
Wow, I love the twist you bring to prepare salmon. Pecans are among my favorite nuts, and I love pesto. I need to try, I'm intrigued! 🙂
Hello! Looking forward to trying this. Can I use frozen salmon without skin??
You can use frozen salmon but just adjust the cooking time. 🙂
This is exactly what I wanted to make! I have salmon, pesto paste and pecans and I was just about to do a search for those ingredients and this is the first salmon recipe that came up on my feed. I’m going to try this tonight
Hope you enjoyed this! So easy and very tasty!
Loved this recipe!! Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it! Yay! Thanks for letting us know.