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This pistachio-crusted salmon smothered with spicy zhoug sauce is a fast, easy dinner recipe! All it takes is 15 minutes in the oven, and the fish comes out moist, flaky, and packed with herby flavor. I serve it with a massaged kale salad for an easy salmon weeknight dinner.
Zhoug is a spicy cilantro sauce that you can add to EVERYTHING! It’s just as delicious over oven-baked salmon as it is with baked chicken or roasted veggies.
Pistachio-Crusted Salmon
Today’s juicy salmon filets are topped with a creamy homemade zhoug sauce and crushed pistachios, then oven-baked until the fish is flaky and tender. I love the contrast of the buttery salmon against the herby heat of the zhoug and crunchy nuts! Afterward, I serve this easy pistachio-crusted salmon with a fresh kale salad drizzled with leftover sauce. No zhoug goes to waste in this household.
Zhoug is a mildly spicy, Middle Eastern-inspired cilantro sauce that tastes amazing in everything from juicy baked salmon recipes to salad dressings, dips, and marinades. It’s easy to make in the blender and delicious in this recipe.
What Makes This Pistachio-Crusted Salmon a Winning Combination
- The perfect easy dinner for two. Date night? I have you covered. This pistachio-crusted salmon is also great for entertaining, with the option to scale the recipe.
- Bold, herby flavors. You don’t need many ingredients to make this salmon dish, but it packs SO MUCH flavor thanks to zhoug, a spicy herb sauce, similar to Peruvian green sauce, that infuses every buttery bite, while the pistachios give it crunch.
- Ready in under 30 minutes. This recipe is quick! While the pistachio-crusted salmon bakes, throw together a fresh green salad, a batch of Mediterranean rice, or any of your favorite sides. Dinner is ready to serve in 20 minutes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pistachios – Roasted or unroasted and finely chopped. If you don’t have pistachios, you can crust the salmon with crushed almonds or pecans.
- Sour Cream – To make a creamy zhoug sauce. Greek yogurt is a good substitute. You could also blend the zhoug with avocado or tahini to make it creamy.
- Zhoug Sauce – Zhoug is a mildly spicy Middle Eastern green sauce made from cilantro, jalapeño, and garlic. I make an easy homemade version in the blender, linked earlier, and in the recipe card. Otherwise, you’ll find jarred zhoug (also called zhug or schug sauce) in the condiment aisle or the international food aisle.
- Salmon – I use wild-caught sockeye salmon fillets, which tend to be leaner, while farmed Atlantic salmon is fattier. Both taste great in this recipe. You can buy a whole salmon side and cut it into fillets at home, or buy pre-cut fillets from your local fishmonger.
- Seasoning – I season the salmon with smoked paprika (sweet also works), plus salt and black pepper.
Can I Use Frozen Salmon?
Sure! If you don’t have access to fresh salmon, you can use frozen fillets instead. Make sure to thaw them completely and pat them dry beforehand.
For the Kale Salad
- Chopped Kale – This can be curly kale, Tuscan kale, or any kind you can find in stores. Feel free to swap kale for greens like baby spinach, Swiss chard, or a mix of salad leaves.
- Tomatoes – I like to use sweet grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and slice them in half. Chop larger tomatoes into quarters.
- Scallion – Or a mild salad onion, like Vidalia or red onion, thinly sliced.
- Cabbage – You can use red or green cabbage, shredded like you’d use for slaw. Another option is shaved Brussels sprouts.
Recipe Tips
- Use even-sized fillets. Try to cut or buy fillets that are similar in size so that they cook evenly.
- Toast the pistachios for more flavor. Similar to how you’d roast almonds or pumpkin seeds, you can toast the pistachios lightly in the oven or in a dry skillet on the stovetop before you add them to the salmon.
- How to tell when salmon is cooked: Salmon is done when the flesh turns from deep pink to flaky, opaque pink. The internal temperature should read 145ºF on an instant-read thermometer.
- Nut-free. Use sunflower seeds, pepitas, or make panko crusted salmon for a nut-free version.
- Adapt the heat. Zhoug sauce isn’t fiery hot, but it does have a little heat from jalapeño peppers. If you make it yourself, you can adjust the spiciness to taste, or use a mild version from the store. If you’re especially sensitive to spice, my mild pesto salmon might be more up your alley.
What to Serve With Salmon
I include a quick, delicious massaged kale salad recipe to serve alongside this pistachio-crusted salmon. If you’re looking for more serving ideas, pair it with veggie sides like roasted carrots or snappy asparagus with lemon butter sauce. I also love nestling these fillets over a bed of quinoa, tabbouleh, or couscous. It’s also great rolled up inside a shawarma or pita pocket, dolloped with taratur (similar to tzatziki), extra sour cream, or Greek yogurt.
Tools I Used For This Recipe
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- Sheet Pan – You can use either a lightly oiled baking dish or a parchment-lined sheet pan to roast the salmon.
- Parchment Paper – Lining the pan makes cleanup easier and keeps the salmon skin from sticking.
- Mixing Bowls – You’ll need one for the creamy zhoug sauce and another for tossing the kale salad.
- Meat Thermometer – Helps you cook the salmon perfectly! Look for 145°F in the thickest part.
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Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Zhoug
Ingredients
For the Pistachio Crusted Salmon
- 2 tablespoons shelled pistachios, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 6 tablespoons zhoug sauce
- 2 sockeye salmon fillets, 5 ounces each
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- olive oil, for the baking dish
- Kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Kale Salad
- ¾ cup kale leaves, packed and roughly chopped
- 4 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup shredded red cabbage
- Kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 425ºF. Lightly oil a baking dish or line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the creamy zhoug sauce. Place the sour cream and zhoug sauce in a small bowl. Stir to combine and season with salt to taste.
- Season the salmon. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle the paprika over the fillets.
- Add sauce to the salmon. Place salmon, skin sides down, in a lightly oiled baking dish or a sheet pan. Spread the tops of the salmon with about 2 tablespoons of creamy zhoug sauce.
- Add nuts. Sprinkle with pistachios on top of the sauce. Press to adhere.
- Roast. Transfer the salmon to the oven and roast it for 12-15 minutes, or until it is fully cooked and flaky. Salmon is cooked through when its internal temperature registers at 145˚F.
- While the salmon is cooking, make your kale salad. Place kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with about half the remaining creamy zhoug sauce. Lightly season with salt to taste. Massage until leaves soften. Add cabbage, tomatoes, and scallions. Drizzle with remaining zhoug sauce. Toss to combine. Season with salt to taste.
- Rest and serve. When the salmon has finished baking, let it rest for about 3-5 minutes. Divide the pistachio-crusted salmon between plates. Pile kale salad on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Pistachio-Crusted Salmon
Follow the steps below to make juicy, oven-roasted salmon with creamy zhoug. Alternatively, you can cook this salmon in the air fryer or on the grill. If you’re grilling the salmon instead, consider using foil to protect the crust.
- Make the creamy zhoug sauce. First, combine the sour cream and zhoug sauce in a bowl for the topping.
- Season the salmon. Meanwhile, pat the salmon dry. Season the fillets with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Assemble. Arrange the salmon fillets skin side down in a lightly oiled baking dish or sheet pan. You could also line the pan for easy clean-up. Spread the creamy zhoug over each fillet, and gently press the crushed pistachios on top.
- Bake. Bake the salmon at 425ºF for 10-15 minutes until the fillets are light pink and easy to flake with a fork. Rest the crusted salmon for 5 minutes, then serve it with kale salad (see below) or your choice of sides (see the section earlier).
Kale Salad With Zhoug Dressing
While the salmon roasts in the oven, make a quick massaged kale salad to serve on the side:
- Combine. Add kale to a bowl with about ½ of the leftover creamy zhoug.
- Massage the leaves. Season with salt, and gently massage the kale to soften the leaves. Then, add the shredded cabbage, tomatoes, and scallions.
- Add dressing. Toss the salad with the remaining zhoug, and serve.
Storage and Freezing
- Refrigerate. Store this pistachio-crusted salmon and any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to add the cold salmon to the leftover kale salad for lunch the next day.
- Reheat. Warm the salmon in the oven or microwave until it’s hot throughout.
- Freeze. You can freeze leftovers for up to 1 month and thaw the salmon in the fridge before reheating.
