You know how sometimes you make a recipe and it is just SO good you have to share it?? Well this is one of those recipes. This week we were working on creating some new summer recipes and although we were largely focused on summer grilling and easy dinner salads, this easy salmon recipe with pesto sauce snuck it’s way into the test schedule. It did not disappoint! And if you are looking for a kid friendly salmon dinner, this is it!
Why we loved it:
- It is delicious, easy, and healthy.
- Total time was about 35 mins to the table.
- It uses the one skillet to cook the salmon, make the creamy sauce, cook the veggies, and finish the meal. So easy!
- There is minimal prep work.
- It is a kid friendly salmon dinner! Our kid testers loved it and one even commented “taste like a real restaurant meal!”.
- It is a great one for summer to make use of fresh tomatoes.
We served it with pre-cooked basmati rice (just heat in microwave) and a side of crunchy snow peas to round out the meal. Simple, healthy, and delicious- this easy salmon recipe with pesto is our kind of dinner!
Ready to get it on the table for your dinner tonight? Here is the easy recipe. We would love to hear your results and if you made any modifications, please share those as well.
Easy Salmon Recipe with Pesto Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1.5 lbs salmon fillets
- 1 tbs butter
- 3 tbs flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup milk (we used low fat)
- 1/4 cup store bought pesto sauce (we used tomato pesto but any variety would work)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes (we used both yellow and red)
- 2 to 3 handfuls of baby spinach (can also use baby kale)
- 3 to 4 scallions, chopped (optional)
- pre-cooked basmati or brown rice, to serve
Instructions:
First, measure out the ingredients for the sauce in advance (butter, flour, broth, milk, and pesto-it will make cooking go much smoother!).
Season fish with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil on med in large skillet. Add salmon, skin side up if it still has skin. Cook for 5 to 8 mins. Remove from skillet and place on plate. Depending on thickness of fish, it may not be cooked all the way through. This is OK as it will continue cooking in the sauce. Add butter to same skillet and let melt. Add flour and stir with butter until smooth, scraping up any bits of salmon in the pan. Slowly add the milk and broth and stir to combine. Add tomatoes and pesto sauce and cook on med/low for 3 to 5 mins more until sauce becomes slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Generously season sauce with salt and pepper. Stir in spinach and tomatoes and then return salmon to skillet. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Top with chopped scallions, if using. Serve fish over rice and with a crisp side vegetable. YUM!
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