Tomato Pesto Salmon and Rice Recipe Baked in Foil
Feb 21, 2016, Updated Jul 26, 2022
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Tomato Pesto Salmon and Rice Recipe Baked in Foil – Incredibly flavorful, quick, 30-minute healthy fish dinner recipe with tomato pesto, salmon and rice baked in foil.
Get out your forks, people, this is going to be a great one!
Hey-ya! Happy Sunday! It’s one of those days for me, where I can barely keep my eyes open because I decided to play it up like a 21-year-old last night and went to bed so super late that now I’m regretting it. All of it. The wine and shots, too.
What was that saying? Wine before liquor never sicker? Well, I got it wrong and twisted and did the opposite. Ditz.
Also? I downloaded this Grammarly app the other day and now, with every word I type, it tells me that I know diddly squat about grammar. Pink and blue underlines all over the place! My English teachers need to come forward and fix their mistakes.
IN other news! I know that I always tell you about favorite recipes. BUT.
This really IS a favorite recipe. A huge favorite. A serious favorite! I’m not exaggerating.
Guess what we are putting in our foils? Salmon AND rice ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Tomato Pesto, too. All of the flavors, really!
If you have followed me long enough, then you know that I mucho-mucho-LOVE tomato pesto. Mucho.
Salmon, too. I make salmon just about every Friday, then eat the leftovers for a day or two.
Sidenote. Did you know that February is American Heart Month? If you’re worried about heart disease, eating one to two servings of fish a week, like I do, could reduce your risk of a heart attack. No, really, it can! The omega-3 fatty acids in fish are good for your heart.
On the same note, nutritionists have long talked about the heart-healthy benefits of extra-virgin olive oil. It helps lower your cholesterol and control insulin levels in the body. Thus, when you put salmon and EVOO together, you have a powerhouse of monounsaturated fats and you’ll live to eternity!
And if you’re really awesome and want to make excellent life decisions, you’ll go grab your bottle of EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, some salmon, and rice, and throw it all on foil. Simple, yes, but packed with loads of flavor and an awesome option for a busy week, even a romantic dinner. Makes me feel like I have my stuff together. And I don’t. So that has to count for something.
ENJOY!
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Tomato Pesto Salmon and Rice Recipe Baked in Foil
Ingredients
- 6 heavy duty foil sheets
- 2 cups instant rice, (you can use brown rice)
- 2 cups warm water
- 6 (about 4 to 5 ounces each) Salmon Fillets, skins removed
- salt and fresh ground pepper, , to taste
- STAR Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2- cup Sundried Tomato Pesto
- 2 garlic cloves, , minced
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Place rice and water in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Lay out the foil sheets and divide the rice mixture evenly over each foil, squeezing the water out as much as possible. I just spoon out some rice, then hold the spoon to the side of the bowl and tilt the spoon a bit to drain out the excess water.
- Top rice with salmon fillets; season with salt and pepper, and rub with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Add a tablespoon of tomato pesto on top and spread it over each fillet.
- Sprinkle some garlic over fillets.
- Place a sprig of fresh thyme over each fillet.
- Fold the sides of the foil over the fish, covering completely; seal the packets closed.
- Transfer fillets to a jelly roll pan or large baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.
- Transfer foil packets to plates.
- Carefully open up the foil packets and serve.
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.
FOIL PACK RECIPES:
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Big fan of tomato pesto. This looks great. I love how easy it is to cook salmon in foil.
This is one delicious and easy supper! My husband would go crazy for it!
I adore salmon and pesto!! What a great idea!
Ah man! I partied a bit on our vacation a few weeks ago and it is definitely different when you have a little one that wants to be up at 6am and playing! Oh the struggle is real.
But this salmon? Yes please! I love pesto and salmon so match made in heaven!
Sundried tomato pesto and salmon sound like the perfect combo, and I really love that you included the rice in the packets so that your meal is ready to go all at once.
The flavor of this sounds amazing especially with the pesto!
I have a new found love for salmon and this look amazing! Can’t wait to try it out!
This looks delicious and easy! Can you cook just 2 packets instead of 6? Thanks!
Hi Shannon! Oh yeah, absolutely. Just make sure to only use enough of all the ingredients for 2 servings, instead of 6.
Always up for a new salmon recipe.
This looks super amazing and delicious!! We love salmon. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe!!